


This Golden Cage of Mine

by London9Calling



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alien Culture, Arranged Marriage, Blood, First Time, Frottage, Harems, Imprisonment, M/M, Mentions of War, Minor Character Death, Misunderstandings, Planet Destruction, Plot Twists, Poisoning, Refugees, Royalty, Sins of Omission, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 20:19:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 42,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12755481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/London9Calling/pseuds/London9Calling
Summary: Earth has been destroyed and with it the only home Minseok has ever known. A long journey leads him to a resettlement camp on the planet Evren and the promise of a new life, as long as he is willing to assimilate. When assimilation equates to an arranged marriage Minseok feels like he can't say no. What he doesn’t expect is to be married to a man who has been locked up for the majority of his life, a prince in a gilded cage.





	This Golden Cage of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #33  
> The setting in this fic is partially inspired by the Imperial harem of the Ottoman Empire (titles, some names, and the kafe concept originates there). This fic has been a journey and it wouldn’t have been nearly as productive without the help of my betas and test readers. S, J, M, K, R, and A, you saved me with your ideas, your constructive criticism, and your willingness to hear me complain and ramble. Thank you guys, I owe you one. OP I hope I did your prompt justice, at least a little bit. Thank you for giving me an amazing idea to work with.

Everything Kim Minseok knew about the planet Evren he learned during the half-day journey from the resettlement center to the planet, the information rattled off by the agent in charge of sector K4 of the refugees, also known as the surviving humans from what was once Korea. The agent was a small man with big glasses who read from his tablet without looking up, facts about cuisine and culture spewing from his mouth in rapid-fire, not particularly caring if anyone was listening.

Minseok tried to listen but he gave up quickly, his mind too weighed down with the past to start taking notes on the future. It didn’t matter how much rain Evren received or what their dominant religion was. What mattered was that Evren or any of the other of thousand some planets who opened their doors to earth’s refugees were not home. His home was gone. Destroyed. There was nothing left to go back to, nothing left but bittersweet memories and survivor’s guilt.

He glanced at the resettlement agent, watched his mouth move without paying attention to his words. He looked human, probably one of the off-worlders who had grown up far away from Earth, only knowing the place as the origin of his species.

A jab to his ribs tore Minseok out of his thoughts. He glanced at the man beside him, a tall lanky male who had introduced himself when they boarded the ship (a name that Minseok had already forgotten). “Hey, did you hear that?” the man asked in hushed tones, nodding towards the resettlement agent.

Minseok shook his head _no_.

“Sounds like the Evrenians are big on assimilation. Figures out of everywhere they could send us we get shoved off to a place that wants us to forget and move on as soon as possible.” The man snorted. “I thought they said they paired refugee cultures, looking for the best fit. Sounds like they just drew our sector and a planet out of a hat.”

Minseok swallowed. Assimilation was rational, it was logical. The Evrenians had opened their doors to thousands of refugees without anywhere else to go, he couldn't fault them for wanting a seamless integration among their existing population. But still...he was never going to give up who he was. He was never going to forget even if that was the logical thing to do.

There was no going back, but he would always have his memories. _Always._

☀ ☀

They stayed at the processing center in Tengri, Evren’s largest city, for a week. The refugees slept on cots in one large room, a poorly ventilated space that was filled with the crying of babies and the stench of body odor. Every day they were sent to a bevy of classrooms, lectures, instructions. They learned what the currency was on the planet, what the signs meant. That the planet was ruled by an Imperial family with absolute control over laws and policies. How to say hello, thank you, and please without the aid of a translation device. What was considered horribly offensive, what the laws were. The things that set them apart from humans; outwardly they were very similar but their tolerance of heat was far greater due to the climate on Evren. Everything the resettlement agent had rattled off plus some, not any more exciting than the agent’s droll lecture but with greater participation because it was do-or-die time.

“Backwards,” was the verdict given by the man who sat next to Minseok through the lectures. Minseok had tried not to think the same, but he had to admit the more he learned the more….antiquated the place seemed.

Evren shunned a good deal of modern conveniences, a choice made eons ago after their own planetary war. The instructors reminded the refugees again and again that they could expect to see a bare minimum of technological advancements on the planet; a transport ship here and there, blasters, but that was largely the extent of what was available. The people of Evren saw technology as a complication, a threat, a danger they did not want to entertain. To Minseok it added another layer of difficulty, he would need to adjust without the aid of the devices he had grown up with.

He had his picture taken, his fingerprints scanned. He was assigned an alien registration number. A standard, Government Issue tracking chip was injected into his shoulder. He answered questions about his health, about his parents, about his age. All the things he had already told the resettlement agency, leaving him to wonder how inept the agency was considering none of his information transferred.

The last day before the refugees were to be released a group of them was called to an assembly room, each name read over the intercom slowly, with a heavy accent.

Once all those summoned had gathered the processing center administrator, the head of the lackluster operation, made an announcement.

“By decree of Emperor Yifan, all eligible refugees will be legally matched with a suitable Evrenian to help their transition and integration into Evrenian society. Information on your integration match will be provided at the time you are discharged from the center. All objections to the arrangement may be made to the resettlement agency and will facilitate a mandatory deportation from Evren upon the day the objection is filed.” It was dry. An order.

 _Legally matched with a suitable Evrenian._ Minseok thought it sounded a lot like marriage, partnering, something of the sort. All of those gathered were single as far as he knew.

“So now we are forced to get married. Great,” one of his fellow refugees muttered. “And if we say no we get sent back and may never find somewhere to settle.”

Minseok remained mum, keeping his head down and his thoughts to himself on the walk back to the sleeping hall. _Marriage._ He had never even considered it given the life he had left behind.

Later that night, hours before the double suns rose over Evren, heralding the day the refugees would be discharged, Minseok decided to accept his fate. He would always have his memories, but he had to survive to make them worthwhile. He had to survive for his family, who had died years before when the wars had just started. He had to survive for himself, to make the fact he had escaped death meaningful. He wouldn’t give up, he decided, no matter what.

He couldn’t.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok wore a carefully controlled expression as he boarded the transport vehicle, taking a seat in the back. He had been discharged from the resettlement center a half an hour ago, after changing into what he assumed was Evrenian garb, a tablet thrust in his hands, detailing the documents he had signed. He scrolled through the papers, stopping at the integration match agreement he had initialed.

When the vehicle began to move, no other passengers on board, Minseok yelled out in question.

“There are no others going where you are,” the burly driver called back.

Minseok frowned, uncertain if it made his final destination better or worse. He had sat through the assimilation classes but he still felt utterly lost when it came to the world he had found himself in.  No amount of lectures could prepare him for an entirely different civilization, a new culture, a new planet.

It wasn’t a long ride to his destination, five minutes maybe before the transport vehicle stopped. Minseok stood, swallowing down his anxiety. He proceeded to walk towards the door but was stopped when the shuttle opened from the outside, a man stepping on board. He was dressed in a long white garment, his hair loose around his face. Minseok supposed he wasn’t much older than himself.

“Kim Minseok?” the man asked, but he wasn’t talking to Minseok, he was asking the driver.

“Yes,” the driver replied.

Minseok felt awkward, even more so when the man looked back, his eyes raking up and down his body like he was checking a piece of equipment for a defect before purchasing it.

“This way,” he said in a monotone voice, gesturing for Minseok to follow.

Minseok did as he was told, stepping out of the transport ship to find himself on a wide platform made of stone, a dozen more men waiting for him, all dressed similarly to the first man, all observing him with the same judgmental stares.

A large litter sat between the two rows of men, a deep brown with white shutters obscuring the interior.

“This way,” the man instructed, walking towards the litter.

Dusty. Sand blowing, hazy twin suns in the sky. Beyond the platform, he could see a hill, an asymmetrical spiral of buildings and parapets peeking up from behind thick stone walls. Minseok could hear noises behind him, below the platform, his in-ear translator not sensitive enough to decipher the distant conversations.

Minseok walked to the litter, averting his eyes from the row of men, too anxious to make eye contact. One of the men held the door open, waiting for Minseok to enter.

Minseok tried to think of what place he was going to that would require him to travel in such a manner. Did all of these people work for his new spouse? Was this some marriage tradition? He slipped inside the litter, his head hitting the door frame. He cried out and grasped his forehead, maneuvering to sit in the cramped quarters.

The door was shut a second later, snapping loudly in place. He massaged his head, feeling a bump begin to form.

The litter jostled as it was picked up, Minseok banging his elbow against the side and letting out a curse at the new source of pain. His first day on Evren was turning out to be far from pleasurable.

 

☀ ☀

 

It was silent as Minseok was carried towards his destination, the litter jostling periodically as the men maneuvered the object around turns. Minseok strained to hear anything at all, any noise that could tell him where he might be.

But it was quiet. _Eerily so._

He couldn’t estimate how long it was before the litter was set down. It was disorienting not being able to see his surroundings, to travel at such a slow pace when he was used to taking transport vehicles on-planet and much faster ships off-planet.

The door to the litter was pulled open, allowing the bright sunlight to stream into the confined space. Minseok squinted against the harsh sun. He put his hand above his eyes to shield himself from the influx of light.

The man that he had first met on the transport ship leaned down, waving his hand in front of the open litter door, urging Minseok forward.

Minseok tried to get out of the litter as gracefully as he could, but once again he ended up banging his head against the doorway, choking back a curse as pain shot through his temple. He struggled to stand up, tripping over his own feet, arms wobbling to keep himself balanced and standing.

He blinked, eyes still adjusting to the light. It took him a few seconds to realize his surroundings. He was in a courtyard, paving stone underfoot. Three-story white buildings surrounded him, overhangs creating shade. White and blue tiles dotted the walls of the structures, the sun playing off the glossy tile.

A woman cleared her throat, bringing Minseok’s attention to a small group of people standing at the far side of the courtyard. He stiffened, eyes widening at the sight.

A very tall woman stood at the head of the group.  She wore a voluminous red silk dress, a long brightly colored overcoat around her shoulders. Her black hair was smoothed back, an ornate jeweled hairpiece resting on her hair. She looked to be middle-aged, her tan skin showing signs of wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. Even at this distance Minseok could see her eyes were a piercing blue, her gaze boring holes into him. Behind her were other women and men, less finely dressed but still outfitted in sumptuous garments. They watched with the same cold, unwelcoming expression.

“Take him to the Prince’s kafe,” the woman instructed, her voice dripping with authority.

Minseok mentally recoiled at the coldness of the people before him, immediately feeling that he wasn’t welcome at this place.

 _Prince_. She had said, prince. Minseok shoved that piece of information to the back of his mind, casting his eyes at the ground, trying to appear calm in the face of...of… _whatever this was_.

One of the men who had carried the litter stepped forward, beckoning for Minseok to follow. He obeyed, keeping his head lowered, partially out of fear but mostly because he was afraid if he looked at that icy stare one more time he would turn heel and run. His anxiety lessened when he realized the woman and her entourage were not following them.

☀ ☀

 

The place was a labyrinth. It became clear as soon as he was led through a half dozen courtyards, down narrow passageways, following the man as he snaked left then right.

The blue and white tiles were replaced by gold tiles in some spots, the gilding peeling at the edges. Everywhere there was dust, Minseok brought his hand to his mouth to stop from breathing it in. The heat was horrible, even if most of the passageways were in shadow courtesy of the tall buildings that surrounded them.

Finally they entered a much larger courtyard, this one surrounded by one-story buildings on all four sides. They were white, missing the decorative tiles that Minseok had become accustomed to seeing.

In the center of the courtyard was a two-story structure topped with multiple domed roofs. The building was far grander than those that edged the courtyard. Tiles, hues of dark green and blue, dotted the building, gilded tiles filling in the gaps.  The windows were covered in narrow lattice work. Minseok wondered if they were as much about keeping people out as they were about keeping someone in, a feeling that was reinforced by the armed guards that stood watch in front of the large, arched double doors that faced the courtyard entrance.

The man Minseok was following sensed his hesitation, answering with insistent gestures for Minseok to continue walking. He did as he was told, reminding himself that whatever this was, whatever this life was it was his now. He couldn’t go home again.

When they reached the building, the guards opened the doors without question, another seemingly silent exchange.

Minseok instinctively held his breath. He stared into the building but was unable to make anything out. Darkness in the afternoon sun. His escort gently pushed him forward, urging him to enter.

Minseok shut his eyes, counted to three before opening them, then marched through the open doorway with as much confidence as he could muster. Once he was a few feet inside, the doors slammed behind him, sending a shiver down his spine.

Silence. _Deafening silence._

The air was stale, heavy with a peculiar odor that Minseok couldn’t place. It wasn’t a bad smell, but it was overpowering, the way that it hung about the room. Deep purples and blues, greens and golds decorated the walls in an ornate scrollwork pattern. The floor was covered in deep purple and blue carpeting, a disorienting pattern that was only broken up by the scattered silk cushions haphazardly placed around the room. Miniscule sunlight filtered in from the heavily latticed windows, dust drifting in the light.

Minseok’s eyes strained to see the far end of the mammoth room, to the doorway beyond. It seemed to be as dark as the entrance which frustrated him. He was anxious, unsure, and afraid to move forward.

“Hello?” Minseok called out, hoping for yet fearing a response. He was met with silence.

Minseok’s legs felt heavy, his feet stuck to the ground. He was too scared to move forward, too afraid what he might find.

But it was silly. He needed to be brave, to face this new life that was before him.  He ignored the thudding of his heart, the beads of sweat that began to form on his brow - no longer from the heat, now a product of his anxiety.

He didn’t hear anything but the soft thud of his feet on the carpeting as he traversed the room. He walked through the far doorway, hands clenched so hard his nails dug into his palms.

This room was different, more windows. It was brighter, with actual furniture spread throughout. Settees, tables, all in a dark cream color. At the far end of the room was a staircase, which he quickly realized he would need to climb if he continued his exploration.

When Minseok reached the foot of the staircase he stared up, hoping to see something or _someone_. Still, he was only accompanied by the sound of his steps. He carefully climbed the stairs, sucking a few deep breaths as he went.

When he reached the top he gasped in surprise. A domed room, sumptuously decorated with colorful tiles, ornate furniture. The huge domed roof was intricately tiled, a mosaic reaching to the sky. Minseok had never seen anything so grand in his life. His last few years on earth had been spent among the rubble, ruin, the landscape of war. And before that, he lived a simple middle-class life, nothing like the grandeur he was experiencing now.

He was too busy taking in the sight before him to notice the figure that stood on the far end of the room, near one of the large windows.  When Minseok finally realized he was not alone he instinctively took a step back in fright.

The man was staring at him, his gaze as unnerving as the silence. He was dressed in a long, white garment that reflected the light like silk, embroidered with a gold pattern at the neckline and on the sleeves. He had dark eyes, unkempt black hair. His skin was pale, devoid of color. He looked young, Minseok thought, his features well defined, high cheekbones and a sharp chin. There was something haunting about the way he watched Minseok, without showing a hint of an expression.

“H-hello,” Minseok stuttered, hoping the man was wearing an in-ear translator. When he didn’t respond Minseok doubted he was. He racked his brain, trying to think of any of the Evrenian words that he had been taught during his time at the resettlement camp. He muttered what he hoped was _hello_.

Finally, the stranger spoke, his voice cracking. “Leave.”

There was a long stretch of silence, both men staring at each other, neither moving.

When Minseok didn’t back off after several seconds had passed, the man rose, his expression morphing into one of anger. “Leave!” he screamed, the sound terrifying Minseok.

Minseok turned and ran down the stairs, almost falling as he traversed the unfamiliar steps. He ran until he was back at the double doors, his breathing ragged, and his heart still thrumming in his chest. He listened, not sure if he was being followed.

Silence. More silence.

Minseok approached the double doors, hands going to the handles to pull them open. He shook them, rattling the wooden doors to no avail.

They were locked.

Minseok finally gave up. He slumped down on the floor with his back to the door, eyes trained on the far room, just in case the strange man tried anything.

“Is he my husband?” Minseok whispered, desperately hoping that was not the case.

☀ ☀

 

The double doors opening startled Minseok awake. He cried out, confused by the sudden noise, unaware he had drifted off. He jerked upright, eyes wide, only to come face to face with the imposing woman he had met earlier in the day.

She entered the room without any apparent concern that Minseok had to stumble to get out of her way. Her entourage followed, filing in to stand behind her.

She didn’t spare Minseok a glance as she passed. “Bring him upstairs,” she ordered, the translation humming in Minseok’s ear.

He panicked. He didn’t want to go back upstairs, back where he had encountered the angry, strange man. When two men stepped forward and grabbed his arms to drag him along he resisted.

“Please,” one of the men whispered, “It is easier if you go.”

Minseok looked the man in the eyes, noting his sincerity. Minseok didn’t know how to put it into words, how to pinpoint it, but something about this person seemed trustworthy, so he listened. He didn’t struggle, he walked willingly up the staircase. _You have to survive_ , he repeated in his mind, trying to reassure himself with each step.

He averted his eyes when he caught sight of the man. He was still standing near the large latticed window, same haunting look in his eyes.

“Bring him forward,” the woman ordered.

Minseok was urged forward, closer to the stranger that had chased him away hours before. Again he did not resist, briefly locking eyes with the man who had begged him to comply. The man offered him a small smile as if to say it would be alright.

He cautiously stepped forward, eyes trained on the floor so he wouldn't have to look at the stranger.

The woman cleared her throat loudly. “Prince Lu Han, second son of the late Emperor,  brother of the great and immortal Emperor Yifan, by orders of the gods, the benevolence of Evren’s ruler, a husband has been bequeathed upon you.” She spoke the words quickly, Minseok’s in-ear translation device buzzing furiously. 

Minseok swallowed at the realization this, this...strange man was his husband. His fears had been realized.

“As your ancestors before you, please carry on the grand traditions of the imperial family.” Minseok glanced at the woman, her lips forming an unattractive sneer.

Without another word she turned around, her long robes sweeping behind her in a flourish. She stalked out of the room, her entourage trailing behind her.

Minseok panicked, he stared after them, feeling like they had left him in a cage with a wild animal, abandoned to a certain death. He made a move to follow, to get away, but he was stopped. Much to his horror the man (Lu Han?) reached forward and grasped his wrist violently, holding him in place.

Minseok locked eyes with him, alarmed.

Lu Han stared back, he was wearing his own sneer now. Minseok was terrified. What would this madman do to him? Would he kill him? Was this how it ended, on this strange planet, in a gilded room?

“I should have known,” Lu Han spoke quietly, eyes boring holes into Minseok’s face. “They would give me a human. _Welcome to hell_.”

Minseok swallowed, debated tugging his arm free.

“W-who are you?” Minseok asked, tongue thick in his mouth.

Lu Han let his hand drop, bursting out into a bitter laugh. “Who am I?” Lu Han chuckled. “Ask around, husband, and you shall find out.”

Minseok took a step back, his fight or flight instinct kicking in.

He was right to feel that way, as Lu Han began screaming at him to leave again, laughter dying as abruptly as it had begun.

Minseok ran from the room, down the stairs, back to the door -- the farthest he could get from the madman upstairs without leaving the building. He pressed his back against the wall and slid to the floor, feeling defeated.

What was the point of surviving if he was to only die on a strange planet, killed by a madman?

“I have to survive,” he repeated in his mind. He didn’t have a choice.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok managed to fall asleep for a few hours, too exhausted to fight staying awake. He was still nervous, still terrified that at any moment Lu Han might rush down the stairs with violent intent. He considered himself a fairly good judge of character and something about the man with the vacant stare told him that he could be cruel, could be extremely cruel if provoked and Minseok was determined not to provoke him.

His stomach growled loudly when he awoke, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in almost a day, ever since he left the resettlement camp. He rubbed his stomach, hunger pains making his muscles tense.

_Were they going to starve him to death?_

He got his answer when the double doors were opened a few minutes later, the man who had urged Minseok to comply the previous day stood in the doorway.

Minseok blinked at him, afraid to assume anything about his visit. In the day twenty-four plus hours he had been free of the resettlement center he had learned to expect the unexpected.

“Come with me,” the man said quietly, waving Minseok to walk through the doorway. Minseok was only too happy to comply. He left the building eagerly, scurrying into the bright light of the rising double suns. He walked past the guards, who were still situated, one on each side of the doors. The sun glinted on their blasters as Minseok passed, the first time he realized they had more modern weapons at their disposal.

“I am here to take you to the kitchens,” the man explained. “And acclimate you to the palace.”

Acclimate. Minseok hung onto that word, hoping he wouldn’t be locked inside all day as he had feared.

“My name is Kyungsoo, I am an imperial concubine of Prince Chanyeol,” the man said as they walked towards the courtyard exit. “I have been living in the harem most of my life, so if you have any questions please ask.”

Minseok had plenty of questions, so many questions he didn’t know where to begin. At the resettlement center, they had stuffed his head full of the Evrenian culture, but they had only briefly touched on the subject of the Emperor, and they’d said absolutely nothing about the palace or any of its customs. Minseok didn’t understand where he had been brought, who his new husband was, and most importantly - what he should and shouldn’t be doing so he didn’t end up dead.

“I don’t understand any of it,” Minseok admitted. “I don’t even know where I am.”

Kyungsoo gave him a sympathetic look that made Minseok feel like his first impression of the man had been correct. There was something inherently kind about Kyungsoo, something in his large warm brown eyes, his innocent face.

“I forget you are an off-worlder,” Kyungsoo walked a couple of steps ahead, acting as Minseok’s guide. “Tell me, would you rather eat or discuss things first?”

“Eat,” Minseok blurted out, his stomach getting the better of him.

Kyungsoo chuckled. “Then right this way.”

☀ ☀

 

The last five years Minseok spent on earth was painful. He had watched the beautiful place he had once called home become nothing but a shell of itself. The wars that ravaged the globe stole away the last remnants of civilization, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves in the rubble. Many had died of starvation, disease, or violence. It was an ugly world that Minseok left, but it wasn’t this ugliness he remembered. No, what he remembered were the good times before the destruction. While others he had known fell apart mentally, he somehow managed to hold it together by remembering what had gone before. What he would never see again.

When he followed Kyungsoo into the kitchens he caught a glimpse of this good life, something that he remembered. Of plentiful food, the mouthwatering smell of roasting meat. People who smiled as they worked, the kitchens a bustling place, seemingly going on forever

A few of the people working bowed their heads to Minseok in deference, he bowed back, still uncertain what the protocol was.

Once Kyungsoo had loaded a plate up with meat, vegetables, eggs, and a dish that Minseok wasn’t familiar with, they headed out of the kitchens, to a small courtyard beyond. It was shaded from the harsh sunlight by a large tree, a species that was alien to earth. They sat under the foliage on a bench, Minseok caring little for decorum as he shoveled food into his mouth, much to Kyungsoo’s apparent amusement.

“You _are_ hungry.”

Minseok nodded. He slowed down his chews, realizing how barbaric he probably looked. After swallowing a mouthful of veggies he asked Kyungsoo the first question that popped into his mind. “Who is Lu Han?”

“He is a brother of Emperor Yifan,” Kyungsoo answered. He lowered his voice and counted, “He is the second brother of five. Here, on Evren, the rule is determined by generational seniority.”

Minseok blinked. Was that supposed to tell him something?

Kyungsoo sensed his confusion. “The imperial succession is passed generation to generation, not father to son. All of one generation must be gone before the next inherit. Lu Han is Yifan’s heir.”

“Oh,” Minseok had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad thing. What had the remaining dynasties on earth been like? He could scarcely remember.

“It is complicated but on a basic level, the harem is where all of the princes live, from birth until they die or inherit the throne. Unlike the rest of the harem, they are not free, however, to wander about. They are kept secluded, just in case they should get ideas into their head about taking the throne from the current emperor.”

“Lu Han is imprisoned,” Minseok voiced his realization.

“More or less. As is my husband. It isn’t a perfect system but before the method was fratricide. All brothers would be killed. At least this is better than that.”

“And that woman, who is she?” Minseok blurted out, remembering her cold words, her sneer.

“You would do well not to mention her, Minseok,” Kyungsoo whispered, looking around like he was afraid someone had heard them. “She is the mother of the Emperor. The harem is under her total control. _We_ are all under her control. Never speak to her unless she speaks first. Do not look her in the eyes. If you must refer to her as anything it is Valide Empress.”

“She is Lu Han’s mother?” Minseok inquired, making sure he didn’t ask too loudly.

Kyungsoo shook his head. “No. Emperors and princes have harems, multiple husbands and wives to ensure enough offspring to continue the imperial line.”

It was the first time Minseok realized perhaps he was not Lu Han’s only spouse.

“Not Lu Han,” Kyungsoo clarified. “You are the first concubine that the Valide Empress has given him. The princes, they are…” Kyungsoo stopped talking, pursing his lips like he was trying to think of what words to use. “It is not desired, for the princes to have children. It only complicates things. The only person who should father children is the Emperor, it is a cleaner succession that way. That is why the Valide Empress chooses those who cannot give birth as concubines for the princes. Men or barren women. We are safe for them to sleep with if they so choose because we won’t endanger the succession of the emperor.”

Minseok reddened at the mention of sleeping together. He hadn’t even begun to think that far ahead. “Lu Han seems unpredictable. Angry.”

“He’s been kept under lock and key his entire life,” Kyungsoo answered.  “Unlike us, the princes cannot leave their homes. Years in seclusion does things to the brain.”

“He has never left?” Minseok’s eyes went wide.

“Not since he went through puberty. Before he was with his own mother in the harem, all children are allowed at least that much. But once he became a threat he was kept under lock and key. It may sound sad to you based on earth’s customs, but it is better this way. For us, better than death.”

“Where is his mother now?” Minseok was afraid to ask.

“Sent away, same as all of the other concubines of the former Emperor. I wouldn’t know if she is alive or dead.” Kyungsoo sighed. “Remember, Minseok, that it is your duty to keep Lu Han company as much as you can. Our husbands are prisoners, we are their only contact with the outside world.”

Minseok swallowed. He looked at the ground, no longer hungry. He couldn’t fathom how he would become a comfort to the man who had so violently yelled at him the day before. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to be a comfort to him, honestly.

“You will be tasked with getting his meals, his clothing. Everything that would require contact with the outside world will now be your responsibility. Prior to your arrival a specially selected servant did it, but now that person has been sent away. You will need to be attentive to learn what to do. I can help only so much; the rest is up to you.”

“And if I fail?” Minseok asked.

Kyungsoo shook his head. “It would be a terrible thing, for you and for the prince.”

Minseok swallowed, a huge weight had been dumped on his shoulders. He couldn’t get out of this, he apparently had no choice. Earth was gone, he was a resident alien now and part being a refugee ended in this marriage. It didn’t matter that back on earth he had been a white-collar guy pushing papers. Now he was the husband of an imprisoned prince, a man who appeared half-mad from a lifetime of isolation. It was now up to Minseok to serve him, to be his only contact with the outside. None of his past mattered at this point, not really. It was hard to accept, but he had to move forward.

“When you finish eating, I will take you around the harem. It can be overwhelming to navigate,” Kyungsoo explained.

Minseok stared at the plate of food for a moment before pushing it away. “I’m good. Let’s go.”

☀ ☀

 

 “They are eunuchs,” Kyungsoo whispered, gesturing towards the guards that stood outside of the front gate of the harem complex.

Minseok recognized them as the same men that had carried the litter into the palace, all clad in long white robes.

“They’re the only men that can enter the harem besides the male concubines, the princes, and the emperor himself,” Kyungsoo explained.

From there Kyungsoo led Minseok through endless courtyards, explaining each area briefly, humoring Minseok’s questions when he had them.

It was a lot of information, Minseok thought, and it would be a miracle if he could remember his way around even after the tour. There were the eunuchs’ quarters, the hall of the concubines (Kyungsoo said he would meet the other concubines later). There was an aviary, countless reception areas, the practical areas like the kitchens and the tailors. There were places Kyungsoo warned Minseok never to tread -- the hall of the favorites, which could only be used by the concubines of the emperor. The gilded passageway that led to the Valide Empress’s quarters and then on to where the Emperor dwelt.

They passed courtyards that belonged to other princes, Kyungsoo explaining they all dwelt in sumptuous prisons akin to where Lu Han lived. And then finally they were back at the courtyard surrounding Lu Han’s gilded cage.

“What do I do now?” Minseok asked, panic setting in.

“I can’t tell you that, only your prince can give you orders.” Kyungsoo bowed his head and backed away, leaving Minseok to his fate.

Minseok chewed his bottom lip, glancing up at the gilded dome atop the structure. His mind swam with so many things. How wrong it was that he was now a glorified servant. How terrible it all seemed to have men locked up for their entire lives. Injustice on both sides, bitterness towards this being his fate, and a stubborn refusal to give up.

After a few minutes, he dragged his feet back to his new home, ready to face whatever may come.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok found Lu Han standing by one of the latticed windows, his hands clasped behind his back. He was staring out to the courtyard. Minseok belatedly wondered if Lu Han had observed him standing there a few minutes prior, struggling to come to terms with everything.

He approached quietly, clearing his throat when he neared the prince so not to alarm him. Lu Han didn’t turn around or acknowledge his existence in any way.

He racked his brain for what to do next, but he had no idea. This was all new. He waited for a few minutes, shifting on his feet, debating if he should say something. He considered it a win that Lu Han hadn’t screamed at him or threatened him yet.

He glanced around, noticing the bookcases that had escaped his attention before. They were shoved against the wall, stacked with manuscripts that were yellowed, antique looking. Minseok noticed an easel leaned on the wall near them. He looked back to Lu Han, zoning out, waiting for something that never came.

“Is there anything you need?” Minseok finally asked in a small voice, tensing up as he asked.

“Leave.” It wasn’t a shout, but a stern order.

Minseok promptly turned heel and stalked from the room, in some ways relieved he wouldn’t have to spend any more time with the man.

 

 

There was more to Lu Han’s home than Minseok had first thought. When he descended the stairs, he noticed a door that was tucked into an alcove in the wall. Opening it he found a bedchamber, nothing as grand as what existed on the large second floor, but it would do. It was better than sleeping with his back pressed against the wall, terrified.

He spent a few minutes inspecting the room, picking up the few objects that were scattered on the low tables. Afterwards, he wandered back to the large room by the entrance, not sure what to do with himself. He ended up taking a seat and staring idly off into space, zoning out in utter boredom.

☀ ☀

 

A few hours later Minseok heard a commotion outside the door, which was curious given the persistent silence that seemed to surround this place. His in-ear translator could only pick up bits and pieces of the muffled conversation.

Nervous, and perhaps foolish if he was thinking clearly (which he wasn’t) he knocked on the double doors. “It is-” he cleared his throat, the raised voices outside dying down. “It is the prince’s husband.”

The doors were opened by the guards. It was just as Kyungsoo had said, he had a way out. He could leave while Lu Han could not. Something about that fact was simultaneously sickening and hopeful.

Minseok shielded his eyes as the sunlight poured in. There was a tall man standing near the guards. Minseok squinted until his eyes adjusted and he could make out the person's’ face. He was young, with blonde hair and a sharp jaw. He looked upset, angry or sad Minseok couldn’t tell. In his hands was a bundle, tied carefully in cream colored fabric.

Minseok stepped outside in the scorching sun. The man eyed him up and down, seemingly unimpressed.

“I have brought the prince his lunch,” the man rattled off, holding up the bundle.

“I’m Minseok. And you are?” Minseok scratched the back of his neck, the never-ending feeling of awkwardness intensifying.

“I am Oh Sehun, servant to the imperial harem,” the man introduced himself dryly. “I was the prince’s personal servant until yesterday.” He glared at Minseok.

“You are the servant!” Minseok exclaimed excitedly, ignoring the disdain the other man showed. “I have so many questions for you.”

“He is not supposed to be here any longer,” one of the guards interjected. “Orders of the Valide Empress.”

The title that Kyungsoo whispered sent shivers down Minseok’s spine. She was the last person he should anger, or so he was told. Yet…

“I don’t know what to do to help him. Kyungsoo told me that I need to get his food and take care of his clothing and, well it is all a bit old fashioned and I would say classist in some strange way, I don’t know. But if you could tell me-”

Sehun shoved the bundle into Minseok’s arms. “Deliver it to the prince.”

And with that he turned around and stalked out of the courtyard, leaving Minseok to hold the bundled food, frowning at the fact his best chance had just walked away.

He trudged back inside with a heavy heart.

☀ ☀

 

By the time the double suns started to set, Minseok was thoroughly annoyed. The fear he had felt earlier in the day had been replaced with frustration. Lu Han hadn’t eaten the food, nor had he spoken two words to him. There was nothing for Minseok to do unless he ventured outside, and he was too nervous to do that lest he ran into the Valide Empress or another person who may wish him ill.

There was nothing to do in the confines of the house, nothing to do but sit and stare at the tiled walls, at the densely patterned carpet.

When Kyungsoo arrived to escort Minseok to the kitchens for dinner (in case you get lost), Minseok breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice to have something or someone to grab his attention.

He relayed Sehun’s visit to Kyungsoo as they walked.

“He likely misses him,” Kyungsoo said quietly. “He served Lu Han since they were children.”

A lump formed in Minseok’s throat. It seemed particularly cruel to take away an imprisoned man’s only friend.

“No wonder Lu Han hates me,” Minseok muttered. He was the reason Sehun was sent away.

Kyungsoo quirked an eyebrow at him. “Did he say he hates you?”

Minseok shook his head. “He hasn’t said anything to me other than to leave.”

Kyungsoo patted Minseok on the shoulder. “It isn’t easy, you know. Even more so because you aren’t from here.”

“Then what do I do?” Minseok asked, hoping Kyungsoo had the answer. Any answer would do…just _something_. Some course of action to ease the situation. Knowing this was his reality made him want to find any way to lessen the tension.  He wasn’t looking for Lu Han to fall in love with him, it wasn’t really a marriage. All he wanted was a life that was free from fear and anger, from hard feelings.

“Try talking to him.” Kyungsoo stopped walking. They were in a narrow passageway, the area dark under the setting sun. Kyungsoo turned to face Minseok. “When I was first given to Chanyeol it was...difficult. But I didn’t give up. I’m not talkative, normally I mean. But I did it for him. I just talked, didn’t even expect him to listen. Told him all the mundane things I could think of. The world outside of his home, the places he couldn’t see. It sounds strange, but it worked.”

“Talk to him?” Minseok considered it. He wasn’t much of a talker either. His rambling questions to Sehun earlier in the day were a fluke born of desperation. Could he have a one-sided conversation with Lu Han for the sake of their future? He supposed it was as good a tactic as any. “Okay, I will talk to him.”

“Good. Now let’s go eat.” They walked a few feet before Kyungsoo stopped again. “Ah, I almost forgot. Tomorrow night you shall meet more of the concubines. There is a gathering for those who belong to the princes.”

Minseok paled at the thought.

“The emperor and his concubines will not be in attendance, neither will the Valide Empress, so it is nothing to fear,” Kyungsoo tried to reassure him. “It will be good for you to meet the others, Minseok.”

☀ ☀

 

Minseok stood in the middle of the room, his arms folded against his chest in a protective gesture. He was afraid, had barely slept an hour the night before as he debated Kyungsoo’s suggestion.

Lu Han had taken up the same stance as the day before, staring out the latticed windows to the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back. Not saying a word, not moving. Not acknowledging Minseok’s presence. 

Talk. He could talk, right? It was never his strong suit. In his previous life, he was introverted, eager to be alone or among the few close friends he had. When all hell broke loose, when his world began to fall apart, his introversion was a form of survival. He lived because he was alone, taking care of only himself, everyone he had once loved was gone. It was bitter, painful memories that he buried deep within himself, a will to survive overcoming all.

He had considered that isolation had probably rendered Lu Han without the means to communicate, or perhaps he had deluded himself into believing it. He hoped that the prince didn't hate him at first sight, that he was struggling against his own pain which drove his icy persona.

He could talk. He could talk and hope that it was all an aversion that might go away, that might be misplaced.

“When I was three years old I was playing football,” Minseok blurted out the most inconsequential of memories. “And the ball ended up in an old abandoned building. I went to retrieve it and, well.” He could feel himself beginning to sweat out of nervousness. “I didn’t see the bee’s nest. I was stung multiple times. The doctor my parents took me to said I could have died.”

Lu Han didn’t react.

Minseok continued. “On earth we had seasons. I don’t, um, I don’t know if you have them here. Where I lived we had them. Cold winters and it was hot in summer. The rains would come… I liked winter the best. I hate the heat.”

Minseok wrung his hands, sweat forming on his brow.

“I worked at a shipping place, corporate headquarters but it isn’t as impressive as it sounds. I filed claims a lot, which is a waste of a good college education, or so my dad used to tell everyone. It was stupid, I guess, that I didn’t figure out something better. But then again everything is destroyed now so it doesn’t really matter. It was all a bunch of worries that meant nothing in the end.”

He knew he was making it depressing. He tried to think of something more cheerful to say. Kyungsoo had mentioned that he used to talk about the outside, perhaps Lu Han would want to hear it too.

“I went to the kitchens with Kyungsoo yesterday. It reminded me of earth a little, the food and the people. He said tonight there is going to be a gathering for the concubines I need to attend. I’m nervous.” He couldn’t understand why he was being so honest with a man he couldn’t even call a friend, but he was. Perhaps it was his own anxiety that left him rambling, saying more than he should. “I don’t understand everything here. I don’t know, but I will learn. I must learn. I _want_ to learn.” Did he want to? He supposed so. But it was survival in the end. This was his life, he had to keep going.

“Leave.” Lu Han didn’t turn around, didn’t react in any way, only spoke the word that Minseok had started to grow accustomed to.

Minseok turned and left without another word, finding some small victory in the fact Lu Han had listened to him ramble for a few minutes, at least.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok listened for the argument, waited patiently for the heated words that were muffled by the locked door. He waited, and he acted, rushing out to meet Sehun and take the offered food. Like the day before Sehun glared, anger in his eyes. Like the day before Minseok carried the food up to his husband and left it, uncertain if Lu Han ate it, only knowing the dishes were gone the next time he looked.

When Kyungsoo came in the afternoon, asking Minseok to go for a walk, he happily agreed. After a few minutes, Minseok asked him a pressing question, slightly embarrassed to do so. “I don’t know what the procedure is, but my clothing.” He gestured towards his robes, the same dark green garb he had worn since he had left the resettlement camp.

Kyungsoo smiled. “I will have some sent by. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Thank you,” Minseok said. “For everything.”

“No problem.” Kyungsoo patted Minseok on the shoulder in what was becoming a familiar gesture. “If you need anything I will do my best to get it for you.”

Minseok nodded, truly grateful he had met someone as hospitable, as helpful as Kyungsoo.

“You said you have lived here your entire life,” Minseok said, recalling their earlier conversation. “Have you ever been outside the palace?”

“No,” Kyungsoo answered sound nonplussed about the topic. “I was born of a court lady and one of the current emperor's uncles. I was destined to live in the palace.”

“You are the emperor’s cousin?” Minseok asked, surprised.

“You could say that...”

They had made a complete circle, arriving back at Lu Han’s abode. Kyungsoo gave Minseok one last pat on the shoulder before leaving. “I will come to fetch you later, for the gathering.”

Minseok bid him Farewell, hoping that the night would be free from incident.

☀ ☀

 

The air was thick with the smell of incense, a musky smell that permeated the large reception hall. It was a heady scent, the smoke from the burning incense sticks hanging in the air, drifting under the large lanterns that lit the cavernous space.

Minseok, dare he admit, was growing used to the sight of gilded trim of brightly colored tiles and resplendent textiles. As acclimated as he was becoming, it still didn’t help. His heart pounded when he walked into the gathering, trailing a few feet behind Kyungsoo, hoping he didn’t look as terrified as he was.

Kyungsoo had given him pointers on the way over, who he would meet, what he should do. It was a blur, his mind going blank as he walked into the room, all eyes seeming to turn towards him, appraising the newcomer.

He followed after Kyungsoo, nearly running into the man when he stopped short. Minseok noticed that the man before him was bowing so he followed suit, not even looking to see who they were paying deference to.

“Is this Lu Han’s?” the person asked.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo answered, his voice deep.

Minseok lifted his head, eyes meeting the person before him. She was beautiful, eyes lined with kohl, long silky hair hanging over one shoulder. She smiled warmly. “You are quite the pretty one.”

“He’s human,” Kyungsoo explained.

The woman’s mouth formed an O. “Of course! Of course, you would be human.”

Minseok nodded, unsure of what to do or say.

“I am Yoona, I belong to Prince Jongin, Lu Han’s younger brother,” she rambled, looking excitedly at Minseok.

Minseok balked at the descriptor “belonging to” but bit his tongue. It wasn’t the place to argue, no matter how antiquated and inhumane it seemed.

“A human!” Yoona gushed. “I hadn’t thought I would see one.” She looked Minseok over, head to toe like she was viewing a rare species in a zoo.

Minseok colored at the attention. His embarrassment grew when he saw others moving closer, doing the same thing.

“Is that–?”

“Lu Han’s.”

“A human?”

“He looks like something Yifan would like…”

“Good luck to him.”

Minseok’s in-ear translator jumped from whisper to whisper, a dizzying array of gossip, of comments about him that he wished he wasn’t hearing.

“Yoona is married to the fourth prince. The order goes–” Kyungsoo glanced around, suddenly everyone fell silent.

“The princes Lu Han, Junmyeon, Chanyeol, and Jongin.” People started to drift away, and Minseok had little doubt it had something to do with Kyungsoo’s warning looks.

“I see.” Minseok smiled at Yoona. “And how many concubines does each prince have?”

“You are a curious one, aren’t you?” Yoona exclaimed. Much to Minseok’s surprise she grabbed his arm and dragged him closer, whispering the answer. “Junmyeon has the most, but they say he just can’t stand not having a ton of people to talk to. You see them?” Yoona gestured towards where a bevy of attractive women was standing in the corner of the hall. “They are all Junmyeon’s. Also, the four over there.” She pointed towards a group of men. “Wendy, Seulgi, Irene, Minho, Onew, Jonghyun, and Jisoo.”

Minseok wasn’t sure he could remember one of their names, much less seven of them but he nodded politely.

“Chanyeol has Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun, he’s over there.” Yoona nodded towards a man in the corner of the room. He was busy talking to two other men, his expression lively. Minseok glanced at Kyungsoo, curious how he dealt with the other concubine. Kyungsoo didn’t betray a hint of emotion. “Jongin has me, of course, and Soojung, but she isn’t feeling well. Amber as well, she is the one over there.” Yoona pointed towards a woman who sat one of the settees, looking half asleep. “He also has the two talking to Baekhyun, Taemin, and Jin.”

Minseok was shocked at the sheer number of concubines. He did a quick tally, scanning the room. Thirteen in total, not counting himself.

“You’re the only off-worlder, though,” Yoona announced. “Which makes you very peculiar indeed. The harem has been buzzing since you arrived.”

Minseok felt his cheeks grow warm.

“I hope you will feel at home here soon. It is terrible what happened to your home world,” Yoona continued to ramble.

Minseok smiled politely while she gave her condolences for his planet’s destruction. He decided she seemed nice; her intentions were good even if her delivery might seem rude at times.

When Yoona stopped talking to take a sip of her drink, Minseok looked around, his chest tightening when he noticed a familiar face. Sehun was entering the hall, a tray of food balance expertly on his palm.

Minseok wanted to talk to him - _needed_ to talk to him if he had any chance of breaking through Lu Han’s shell.

He trailed after the servant, not bothering to say a word to Yoona or Kyungsoo. He reached Sehun as the man was putting down the tray.

“Can I talk to you, please?” Minseok requested, feeling unusually brave after being judged by a room full of concubines.

Sehun glanced at him. It was a cold look.

Minseok lowered his voice, leaning in. “I am worried about Lu Han.”

It seemed to do the trick. The animosity didn’t leave Sehun’s gaze, but he nodded in agreement. “Meet me outside.”

Minseok waited for the servant to leave, ignoring the looks that Yoona and Kyungsoo were shooting his way. He walked out of the building, guessing all eyes were on him. It was dark, the entrance lit by torches. He considered the darkness, confused when he didn’t see Sehun.

Minseok nearly screamed when he felt a hand go over his mouth, dragging him into the darkness. He stopped struggling when he heard the servant’s voice. “We can’t talk here, come with me.”

Minseok followed him around the building, to a barely-there alley that was basked in darkness. He leaned up against the cool tile wall of the reception hall, his arms going around his middle, looking for warmth in the chilly night air.

“What do you want?” Sehun asked, his tone full of venom.

It was a loaded question, and honestly, Minseok didn’t have the complete answer. What he wanted, he supposed, was to survive. To exist. To make it through in this new reality, to do what he could. What was beyond that, what motivated him a deeper level - he didn’t dare consider.

“You know Lu Han better than anyone,” Minseok started. Stopping he considered his words.

“What are you after? What do you want from him?” Sehun challenged, obviously protective of the prince.

“I want to live. I want - I want -” Minseok bit his tongue. “I want to know how to help him. I don’t know him, he isn’t my friend. But because of some fucked up situation beyond our control. Shit.” Minseok closed his eyes and sighed. “My planet is gone, Sehun. This is it for me. I don’t want this to be terrible. I don’t understand your world, your customs, why he is locked up like that. I just want us to survive. To be okay.”

It was silent for many seconds, the only sounds that of the noises that drifted out of the party and their shared breathing.

“You don’t mean him any harm?” Sehun asked.

Minseok shook his head vigorously. “I wouldn’t dare. I don’t even know him. I just, it is sad to me and it is even worse they took you away from him. Kyungsoo said you’ve been serving him since you were children. It is terrible he can’t see you anymore.”

“I want to talk to him,” Sehun said firmly. “But I need your help.”

“Okay,” Minseok agreed readily. “Okay.”

☀ ☀

 

Kyungsoo shot him a questioning look when he walked back into the gathering, but Minseok shrugged it off. Yoona seemed unbothered and the others didn’t dare ask. During the remaining few hours of the gathering, Minseok chatted with the other concubines, making introductions, gaining a sliver of an understanding of their personalities

They seemed to view him as some sort of curiosity because he was a human, but not one they wanted to hurt. He caught a few of them gawking at him now and then, quickly averting their eyes when they saw him looking. It was okay, he decided, if they wanted to stare. He could take that.

It was more difficult to hear the comments hum in his in-ear periodically. Questioning how a Prince of Evren could ever find a human like him agreeable, comments about how weak he looked, how awkward. He tried his best to ignore them, but it was difficult, his self-esteem taking a major hit.

When Kyungsoo announced his departure Minseok latched onto him, wanting to be done with the entire affair. After they left the building Minseok quickly bid his friend goodnight. He walked back to Lu Han’s home, surprised that he was able to find his way so easily after only a couple of days. Perhaps Kyungsoo was right, perhaps it wouldn’t take long for him to adjust.

When Minseok reached the inner courtyard he stopped, waiting in a spot that was concealed from the flickering oil lanterns. He heard footsteps approaching and held his breath, hoping it was the person he was expecting.

He watched the darkness, relieved when a tall figure emerged enough for Minseok to be certain who it was.

It would be risky, extremely foolish behavior if everything Minseok felt, thought, and was told about the Valide Empress was true. If they were caught he dared not think of what might happen but he was willing to take the chance because the alternative seemed almost riskier. He needed breakthrough, resolution, _something,_ and Sehun was the only one that could help him.

Minseok was afraid he might not pull it off, his heart racing when he put their plan into action.

He staggered from the darkness, doing his best to appear severely inebriated. Swaying on his feet he approached the door, shooting the guards lopsided, hopefully, drunken looking smiles. The guards opened the doors for him without betraying a hint of what they thought about the drunk concubine stumbling back to his husband’s quarters.

Minseok took a step, then tripped over his own feet, landing on one of the guards and sending both tumbling to the ground. He cried out, slurring his words. He hoped it would work like Sehun said, prayed the other guard would be distracted long enough for Sehun to slip inside.

Minseok’s in-ear translator buzzed with the guard’s words. “Off,” he ordered, shoving at Minseok. The second guard was effectively distracted, reaching down and grabbing Minseok’s arm to haul him up.

Minseok feigned anger, shouting at the guard to keep his hands off.

It would be a miracle if people didn’t come running, as loud as the incident was becoming.

Minseok struggled to stand on his own, remembering to look unsteady on his feet. He mumbled a few more choice words before stumbling into the house, praying that Sehun had made it inside and no one would show up to question him.

The doors slammed shut after behind him, the familiar sound of the lock clicking. He breathed a sigh of relief, then dusted himself off. There were a few oil lamps offering low lighting in the main room of the house, the flames flickering over the colorful tiles. Minseok peered into the shadows, wondering if Sehun had made it.

He had his answer when he moved further into the house, towards the staircase. The soft sound of voices from above told Minseok that the ruse had been successful.

“How have you been?” Sehun was asking, his voice strong with emotions.

Minseok stood at the foot of the staircase, one hand on the railing. He didn’t dare intrude, he already felt guilty picking up bits and pieces of their conversation.

He backed away, retreating to the small bedroom that he had claimed as his own. He left the door open, listening for any movement. There was still the problem of getting Sehun out of the house, that hadn’t been discussed in so many words.

Minseok sat on the bed, staring into the darkness. He replayed the events of the night, the gathering, and the faces of the concubines who had stared at him in curiosity. The way Kyungsoo seemed to be able to control his emotions, never betraying a hint of what he was thinking. The glares that Sehun sent him, the desperation in his voice when Minseok spoke of Lu Han. The confusing reality of it all. _His reality_.

☀ ☀

 

Sehun appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, Minseok felt like it had been hours since he had arrived home.

“I’m going now.” Sehun’s voice didn’t hold a hint of malice, was much changed from the way he had spoken to Minseok prior.

“How?” Minseok stood up, anxious how they would get the servant out without the guards noticing.

“There is a secret passageway,” Sehun informed him. “It is how Lu Han receives his meals.”

Minseok gaped at the servant, processing what he had just been told. “Secret passageway….?”

“I wanted to know you had good intentions before I told you,” Sehun explained.

Minseok felt cheated, lied to. But could he blame the man? Minseok was a stranger, a usurper of sorts. If he was in Sehun’s shoes he wouldn’t trust himself either.

“Does Lu Han use it to go outside?!” Minseok asked, mind racing.

Sehun snorted. “He isn’t stupid, Minseok. Now if you'll excuse me, Goodnight.” Sehun left without another word.

Minseok returned to the bed, dumbfounded. He knew he was a stranger in a strange land, everything was new, his knowledge of his surroundings was minuscule. But still…. what other secrets hid from him in plain sight?

☀ ☀

 

Minseok stood, hands clasped in front of him, eyes trained on the intricately patterned carpet. It was a repeat of the day before, Sehun’s visit had seemingly not changed a thing besides giving Minseok a sliver of additional knowledge. Lu Han was still motionless, staring out towards the place he could not go.

“The gathering went well,” Minseok started. “I met the others. They seemed to find it curious that I’m a human. I wasn’t sure how to...how to conduct myself but Kyungsoo was very helpful.”

It was strange to have a one-sided conversation, to struggle to find a topic to speak about while knowing all along that there were no topics that could possibly engage the other party. Still, Minseok tried. He rambled about the garden he had back on earth when he was small, the herbs his mother grew. He talked about how he hated middle school because he was overweight, and people picked on him. He told Lu Han about the time that got into bird watching for a week, a dying hobby since climate change was taking a toll on wildlife. He talked about everything and nothing and after an hour had passed he was shocked to realize Lu Han hadn’t told him to leave.

“I’ll go now. Please, let me know if you need anything.” Minseok slinked back downstairs, to his boredom, to his anxiety. He had a small victory to get him through, however. He felt like he had done something right helping Sehun, as evidenced by Lu Han letting him ramble.

It was a small step. One of what Minseok hoped would be many. They had to keep going, they had to learn to live together. He wouldn’t give up now _. He couldn’t_.

 

☀ ☀

 

 “It seems like you are making progress,” Kyungsoo commented, swatting away an insect that buzzed by his face.

They were sitting near a fountain in one of the outer garden courtyards, a place (according to Kyungsoo), the Prince’s concubines could frequent without repercussion or fear of running into the Valide Empress. Minseok still dreaded seeing the woman again, counting his blessings that he had not once run into her through his short time in the palace.

“He doesn’t tell me to leave, at least not for a while,” Minseok reported. He was still getting the silent treatment, three days after Sehun had visited. He was still not asked to do anything, still left to wonder if Sehun snuck in through the secret entrance and continued to deliver food to Luhan while Minseok wasn’t watching. But it was _something_ , it was some sort of progress.

“What was it like, with Chanyeol?” Minseok asked. He dug his sandaled foot into the ground, the dust kicking up as he made circles.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “It is hard to explain.”

“Was Baekhyun there first?” Minseok dared to ask, curious how his friend would answer.

“No,” Kyungsoo answered quickly without emotion. “He came later. I was the first. Chanyeol was...is still to some degree, optimistically foolish about the entire ordeal that is his life.”

“What do you mean?” Minseok couldn’t reconcile the word optimism to Lu Han. He became insatiably curious how he could have a brother who earned this descriptor.

Kyungsoo started to make his own circles in the dust with the toe of his sandals. “He has almost zero chance of ever being free. He isn’t even the next eldest brother. Still...he holds onto some notion that he will see the outside again.”

Minseok stared at the ground, debated telling Kyungsoo about the secret door that Sehun had told him about. Did Chanyeol have one too? Did he ever sneak out?

He held his tongue, too afraid to say it out loud. “Before the current Emperor, you said the princes were usually killed…” Minseok trailed off, remembering what Kyungsoo had told him his second day in the palace.

Kyungsoo nodded. “It is what happened to my father.”

Minseok opened his mouth, ready to offer his condolences, his outrage when the courtyard suddenly thrummed with voices. Kyungsoo grabbed Minseok’s arm and tugged him into a standing position.

Minseok gestured at his friend in confusion before he saw Kyungsoo bow his head, Minseok mimicked the gesture, starting at the ground as the voices got closer.

_The Valide Empress and her entourage._

Minseok’s heart began to thunder in his chest. He was terrified of this woman, and he had no desire to interact with her. Much to his horror, the voices stopped close by like they were standing only a few feet away. He didn’t dare to look up and see if it was true.

“And here I find them.” It was her voice, the cold, authoritative lilt that sent a shiver down Minseok’s spine. He made the mistake of glancing up in surprise, meeting her gaze.

She was wearing the familiar sneer, her stare full of disgust for him. He immediately returned his eyes to the ground, but the damage had been done.

Two guards stepped forward and grabbed Minseok’s arms, roughly dragging him forward. He made a noise of surprise. He struggled against them, knowing Kyungsoo was giving him a pleading look to behave. He locked eyes with the Valide Empress yet again, her cold look knocking some sense into him. Minseok stopped trying to free himself and let his body go limp, the guards holding him up.

“It is time to learn your place in the harem,” the Empress said coldly. “And why it is of the utmost importance that you do not break the rules.”

Minseok tensed. The only rule he had broken was smuggling Sehun into Lu Han's house...how had she found out? Minseok looked at Kyungsoo, helpless, and afraid. Kyungsoo looked away as if to indicate he knew his place. _What the Valide Empress commanded would be done._

☀ ☀

 

Minseok bit his bottom lip so hard blood began to flow, but he needed to do something, or he would scream. He was resolved to not give his tormentor the satisfaction of hearing him cry out, so he choked back his cries with the taste of blood. The pain seared his legs, shooting up his body every time the cane contacted his calves. The flesh stung terribly against the dry hot air. Minseok couldn’t remember being in so much pain before, even during the hard years before the earth was destroyed. Nothing compared to the repetitive injury that was being inflicted on him by the Valide Empress.

He had been dragged to a courtyard, his hands tied and strung up on a wooden beam that hung overhead. The beating had begun without explanation, insistent strikes to his person carried out by the Empress.

Minseok wondered if she would beat him to death, if this was just the precursor to something far worse. His body began to go limp, held upright only by the ropes around his wrists. His vision blurred, in and out of focus. She began to strike him harder, relentlessly tearing the skin, pressing the hard cane into flesh without any signs of stopping.

 _I’ll die like this_ , he thought, as his vision blurred in and out of focus.

“The Emperor!”

Minseok was vaguely aware that the lashings had stopped, that there was commotion around him. He tried to lift his head to see but didn’t possess the energy. His world went completely dark, shutting out the pain.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok startled awake, then cried out. His body felt like it was being stuck with a thousand pins, each nerve ending firing at once. He screamed, his hands clawing at the ground. His legs felt like they were on fire, and the smallest movement caused excruciating pain.

A distant voice tried to soothe him, but it was a lost cause. He screamed once more before everything faded away for a second time.

☀ ☀

 

He faded in and out of consciousness, the pain tearing through him. He knew someone was there with him, trying to calm him. He knew but he could not comply, his body felt irrevocably broken.

☀ ☀

 

When Minseok awoke the next time, the extreme pain had lessened. He still felt like his legs had been shredded but he could move an inch without crying out in excruciating pain. He blinked, his vision hazy. His throat felt raw, mouth dry. A dull ache coursed through his body, but it was bearable.

He was back at Lu Han’s residence, the oil lamps burning low. It was dark outside, the dim light that usually filtered through the latticed windows was gone. He managed to lift his upper body by angling on his arms, flinching as he rolled onto his side.

He was in the main downstairs room of the structure, lying on the floor.

“You’re awake.”

Minseok looked towards the sound of the voice, surprised and slightly horrified to see Sehun sitting in the corner of the room. He stood up, giving Minseok a concerned look.

“No,” Minseok groaned, trying to wave him away. He had been beaten half to death because of Sehun, he was the last person he wanted to see.

“I’ll get you water.” Sehun ignored his protests, disappearing into the next room.

Minseok collapsed face first onto the floor, his strength gone. He heaved in a breath, trying to focus on anything but the agony in his legs.

Sehun returned quickly carrying a bowl of water and towels. He knelt next to Minseok despite the concubine’s weak words to leave.

“I have a salve to put on your wounds,” Sehun explained, dipping the towel in water and wringing it out. “It will take a couple weeks to heal but you should be fine.”

Minseok gritted his teeth. “You have to go. She found out…” He trailed off, feeling too drained to continue.

“This may hurt but hang in there.” Sehun dabbed the wet cloth on the back of Minseok’s legs.

A strangled cry escaped him at the contact. He balled his hands into fists and tensed, trying to ride out the torment.

Sehun continued to administer the wounds, gently cleaning them before applying a cool salve.

“You didn’t get in trouble because of me,” he said softly. “I don’t know why you think that.”

Minseok sucked in a breath and waited a few seconds before answering. “What else did I do to deserve a beating?”

“Probably nothing. If it was because I was still visiting, I would have been beaten too, probably worse. Whatever sparked her rage had nothing to do with me.”

Minseok was too tired to argue, to point out that perhaps there was a reason the Valide Empress would spare Sehun but punish Minseok. In the end, he couldn’t be sure anyway, and it likely didn’t matter. He had learned quickly how ruthless the Emperor’s mother could be, how bloodthirsty her whims were.  He let his head fall on the carpet, wondering how long he would survive on this faraway planet.

 

☀ ☀

 

It was Sehun who helped Minseok to the small bedroom, who over the course of the next few days waited on him, bringing him food, treating his wounds, helping him to dress and bathe. The servant was nothing but kind, cordial, downright angelic in his care. Minseok was eternally grateful to him even if he wasn’t entirely convinced his punishment hadn't somehow been connected to the night he foolishly helped Sehun sneak into the prince’s residence.

As for Lu Han, Minseok didn’t ask. He assumed Sehun was taking care of him as well and honestly it mattered little. Minseok didn’t have the strength to climb the stairs and try to thaw the icy shield that Lu Han had up, to chip away the antipathy he had for him.

A few times Minseok thought of Kyungsoo, his only friend in the palace. He felt a tinge of anger that Kyungsoo hadn’t visited, but quickly reminded himself it may not be allowed. There was so much he still didn’t understand about the life on Evren – as evidenced by the raw wounds on his legs.

 _I must survive_ , he repeated multiple times, each time his mind wandered to the dire situation he was in. He hadn’t survived the destruction of the earth to end his life here so quickly. He had to stay strong. He had to find a way.

☀ ☀

 

It was five days from when he was punished that the extraordinary happened. Minseok awoke as the twin suns began to rise, the sunlight streaming into his small bedchamber. He opened his eyes and stretched, in awe that the pain in his legs had greatly subsided from the day before. Up until that day, even the friction from the bedding against his bandaged skin was painful. Now, as his leg slid against the cool fabric, he felt only a slight sting. The salve Sehun had applied seemed to work miracles.

Minseok sat up in bed, his mood lighter than it had been since the incident. He made a move to grab the water Sehun had left by his bedside, freezing when he realized he wasn’t alone in the room.

Lu Han sat in the corner, his legs crossed. He was perched on the small wooden chair that Sehun said wasn’t sturdy enough to sit in. The prince was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

Minseok stared back before a wave of modesty overtook him. He was shirtless, clad only in thin trousers that were pushed up away from his bandaged legs. He scrambled to pull the thin bed sheet over his chest.

“How are you feeling?”

Minseok stared dumbly at Lu Han. It was the most the man had ever said to him since the day they had met, since the time he had welcomed Minseok to, in his words, hell. It was disorienting.

“B-better,” Minseok stuttered.

Lu Han continued to stare. “You were in rough shape.”

Minseok nodded. He looked away, eyes going to the bed sheets. He was embarrassed, not sure what to say, not sure what to make of Lu Han sitting in his room asking him about his health. It wasn’t like Lu Han cared about him, right?

Minseok took a deep breath and lifted his head, meeting the prince’s eyes. “Do you know why I was punished?” he asked boldly.

There was a long stretch of silence before Lu Han answered. Minseok lowered his eyes again, picking at the bed sheets nervously.

“You should be careful who you trust,” Lu Han answered quietly, never betraying a hint of emotion, standing as he spoke. Without another glance he strode from the room, leaving Minseok to stew over the strange encounter.

☀ ☀

 

As much as walking pained him, Minseok preferred it to spending another day in bed. When Sehun visited him that morning, Minseok voiced his intentions to leave Lu Han’s residence for a walk to the kitchens. “I can get my own food today,” he announced, trying to hide how unsteady he was on his aching legs.

Sehun snorted. “You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Minseok had already finagled his way into one of the new sets of clothing Kyungsoo had delivered days before. He had somehow managed to wash his face without falling over, giving himself a measure of confidence in his ability to traverse the few courtyards to the kitchens.

“Very well. While you’re there you can pick up Lu Han’s breakfast, the cook will have it ready,” Sehun instructed.

Minseok desperately wanted to trust Sehun, to take the past few days as a sign that they were friends. He _needed f_ riends. Even if Lu Han had warned him about trusting others, surely Lu Han trusted Sehun?

“Lu Han visited me,” Minseok blurted out.

“And?” Sehun didn’t seem impressed.

“He told me to be careful who I trust.” It seemed ridiculous to be telling someone this, Minseok realized.

“He’s right, you know. Especially in the harem. The entire concept is built on backstabbing. Concubines to each other, the Valide Empress to everyone, Prince’s to the Emperor and so on,” Sehun said matter-of-factly. “The people who seem the easiest to get along with are the ones you should avoid.”

An image of Kyungsoo popped into Minseok’s head. He was horrified at the mental image, at the fact he was the first person he thought of. “Is that why I was punished?”

“Perhaps. Like I said before it could just be the Empress’s whim. One never knows the real reason.” Sehun shrugged. “Just take care who you keep company with.”

Minseok swallowed. “So, who should I trust?”

“That is an easy answer.” Sehun smiled. “Lu Han. If one of you falls the other is sure to follow. He is the only one you can trust completely, Minseok, and vice versa because your life and death depend on each other.”

Minseok suddenly wished he hadn’t asked.

☀ ☀

 

It seemed like hours had passed between the time Minseok left Lu Han’s residence and the moment he reached the kitchens. His legs were aching, his forehead thick with sweat since he had been out in the sun longer than normal due to the slow commute. He stumbled to sit down on the wooden steps leading to the kitchen compound, needing a moment to rest and enjoy the shade the overhanging roof provided. Perhaps another day in bed, resting, wouldn’t have been the worst idea.

“Minseok!” a woman called his name.

Minseok spotted Yoona rushing towards him, her long hair flying in the wind as she hurried across the courtyard. She was smiling, the picture of energetic youthfulness.

“How have you been?” she inquired when she reached him, flashing her bright smile and plopping down to sit next to him on the steps.

Minseok scooted over, giving her room to sit. “I’m well,” he answered, nervous to say more.

Yoona leaned in and whispered, “I heard of your punishment. How _dreadful_!”

Minseok nodded, unsure how to respond.

“I trust you are healing well,” she smiled sweetly. “You seem so weak, so fragile. I was worried you wouldn’t heal. You lack the strength a concubine needs. Or at least you seem to, I may have been wrong about you.” Another disarming smile.

Minseok ignored the backhanded compliment if it could be called that. “Thank you, but I am healing well.” Minseok made a move to stand but he faltered, his legs aching. Yoona reached out and steadied him with a hand on his back.

“It’s no problem. I was only visiting to return Prince Jongin’s empty plates.” Yoona’s eyes went wide. She looked around. “I forgot them!” she exclaimed, sighing.

It made Minseok smile. Yoona was charming despite the bite to her words, he would give her that.

“Really, I shall be able to manage.” Minseok took a step away, managing to stay on his feet.

“Okay, but if you need anything you better let me know.” Another sweet smile and she was gone, presumably rushing to retrieve the plates she had forgotten.

☀ ☀

 

It was an arduous journey, but Minseok managed to bring their breakfast to Lu Han’s residence without falling over or dropping anything. He lugged the heavy trays into the heavily guarded home, setting them on the floor of the main room and slumping to the floor. He rested for a few minutes before he dared to pick up the trays and attempt to climb the stairs.

It was a five-minute journey up the staircase, with a few rests in between. When Minseok arrived on the top floor he was sweating heavily but he was happy, he felt accomplished. He had managed to fetch their food without ending up falling on his ass or injuring himself worse.

Lu Han was standing by the latticed windows, looking out at the courtyard. Minseok fought back a small amount of annoyance at the realization Lu Han had probably watched him struggle with the trays across the courtyard but made zero attempt to help him lug them up the stairs. He carried the trays to the table that sat in the middle of the large domed room and set them down, immediately falling onto the cushions that rested by the table.

Minseok dragged his hand through his sweat-slicked hair, feeling disgusting and sore. His legs were on fire, the skin burning from his reckless venture to get breakfast. Honestly, he didn’t feel like eating, he felt more like crawling into bed and sleeping away the pain for the next day.

“My legs hurt like hell.” Maybe it was the fact Lu Han was back to his usual place, back to his spot where he paid little attention to what Minseok was saying that made him start to ramble. “I saw Yoona. I wonder...is she always so cheerful? But insulting...”

Minseok splayed his arms back on the carpet, leaning back. He was panting, his body still overheated from the walk and lugging the trays up the stairs. “On earth, we had these transport bikes for stuff like this. I mean, like if you were injured or whatever. You could get delivery too. They would bring the food to you.”

Minseok stared at the covered plates of food, watching the steam rise. “I miss my mother’s cooking the most, probably. I mean, I haven’t had it in a long time. She died right after the wars started. It’s been at least five years since I’ve had anything she made but she used to cook this sweet potato pie. It was amazing. I’m not sure if you have that here.”

Minseok, eyes trained on the table, didn’t notice Lu Han until he was only a few feet away. He looked up at the prince in surprise.

“We don’t have that here,” Lu Han said simply. He sat on a cushion on the other side of the table. He reached for the covers on the trays, lifting them off one at a time and setting them on the floor.

Minseok cleared his throat and leaned forward, gritting through the pain when the movement had his legs rubbing against the carpeting. He watched as Lu Han picked at the food.

It was the closest he had gotten to Lu Han since the day he arrived, even closer than when Lu Han had surprised him earlier that morning. They were seated across from each other at the table, only a few feet separating them. It gave Minseok a chance to study Lu Han’s face, to see the dark circles that stood out so prominently on his pale skin.

Lu Han took a sweet roll and began to pick at it, tearing small chunks off and plopping them in his mouth. Minseok noticed he had a small scar that ran along his bottom lip and another along the side of his neck.

There was something delicate, fragile about the prince. He looked like he could break like his translucent skin would shatter like a porcelain doll if he was handled too roughly. Minseok found it curious that Lu Han’s looks and his personality seemed so directly opposed, his standoffish manner, the way he carried himself, the way he spoke - it wasn’t fragile at all.

“Tell me more about the earth,” Lu Han suddenly demanded, halting Minseok’s observations.

Minseok blinked at the prince, in awe that he was speaking to him. He cleared his throat then began to ramble, pulling insignificant memories one at a time, sharing them with Lu Han as he slowly ate the breakfast Minseok had brought him.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok spotted Kyungsoo the next day, strolling across a far courtyard. Minseok had asked Sehun for help getting the food, his healing had taken a step back thanks to his foolish actions the day prior. He needed a little time to rest before he assumed full duties, scurrying across the entire harem. Still, he wanted some fresh air, which is why he decided to take a short walk in the early morning.

Kyungsoo didn’t notice him at first and Minseok debated not saying anything at all and just letting him pass. He decided against it, wanting to talk to his ...was Kyungsoo still his friend?

He shouted for the concubine, Kyungsoo looking over and smiling. He rushed to Minseok’s side, eyes wide with worry.

“How have you been? I didn’t know you were up and walking.” Kyungsoo put his hands on Minseok’s arms and gave them a squeeze.

Minseok feigned a reassuring smile. “I am much better now.”

“I was so worried,” Kyungsoo said. “The rumors said it was particularly bad.”

Minseok nodded, he couldn’t argue with that assessment. “I don’t know what it was for…” he admitted, hoping Kyungsoo would fill in the blanks, provide some clarity as to why he was beaten so severely.

Kyungsoo worried his bottom lip. He glanced around, making sure they were alone before he guided Minseok towards a corner of the courtyard, a place where they would not be immediately noticed if someone else wandered in.

“You were drunk,” Kyungsoo whispered. “And assaulted a eunuch guard. That is why you were punished.”

“I was?” Suddenly Minseok remembered when he had snuck Sehun in, pretending to be heavily intoxicated after the gathering with the other concubines.

“The eunuch reported it directly to the chief eunuch, who told the Valide Empress. That is why you were punished.” Kyungsoo looked at Minseok with worry. “I didn’t realize you had drank so much that night. It is my fault for not watching you.”

“No, don’t say that.” Minseok shook his head. “It was my mistake. I understand now, I won’t do it again.”

“I’m just glad you are doing better. If you need anything I shall do my best to help you. Sorry, I stayed away, but Chanyeol has been ill. He is recovering now, so I shall be able to help if you need me.”

“Thank you for your offer.” Minseok was relieved that Kyungsoo didn’t have anything to do with his punishment and he had cleared up the confusion on why it had occurred. That the fact Kyungsoo was the first person who came to mind when Minseok had doubted who to trust all seemed like mental panic on his part. “Take care. We shall have to go for a walk when you are free.”

Kyungsoo hummed in agreement before bowing and shuffling off.

Minseok stayed where he was. He leaned against the tiles of the building, staring out into the courtyard, deep in thought.

☀ ☀

 

 “What do you paint?” Minseok gestured towards the easel. He had noticed it set up with a canvas on it a few times when he came to talk to Lu Han, always turned away, in a place where Minseok couldn’t see what the prince was working on. He was curious what a man who spent a life in captivity created.

Lu Han glanced towards the easel. “The palace,” he answered simply.

Minseok wanted to walk over and see but he didn’t dare. Everything was so new...so fragile that he was afraid invading Lu Han’s space like that would drive him away. It was the same reason he hadn’t asked about the books, the innumerable manuscripts that were stacked high on the room’s bookshelves. He had looked at them from afar, fascinated at the alien scripts he could make out, but he didn’t dare approach them.

Everything seemed so delicate, so new and untested, that Minseok wanted - no, needed, to proceed with caution.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok maintained a degree of fear during his first stroll in the gardens with Kyungsoo, a remnant from the last time they undertook a similar leisurely walk. He expected the Empress to appear again and drag him away for punishment.

“Relax,” Kyungsoo tried to soothe him, sensing his anxiety.

Minseok feigned a smile. Kyungsoo placed his hand on Minseok's arm and guided him towards a stone bench.

“Tell me, how is the prince?”

“Well. He tolerates me.” Minseok sat, adjusting his robes. “He paints and reads. I want to ask him about it, but I don’t want to push him away.”

“Paints and reads…” Kyungsoo smirked.

“What?” Minseok raised his eyebrow at his fellow concubine.

Kyungsoo shook his head, smiling, his cheeks puffing out. “Nothing. I was remembering when we were all young. Lu Han was always the smart brother.”

“Is that so? What were they all like?” Minseok was fascinated by the subject and slightly jealous of Kyungsoo for having known all of them in their youth.

Kyungsoo sighed, gazing off into the gardens. “Yifan was always the strongest, stubborn, and dare I say…” He looked around before leaning in to whisper the rest to Minseok. “Greedy. He always knew he was the heir and didn’t hesitate to take what he wanted from his brother’s, no matter what it was. His mother has a lot to do with his behavior. He always listened to her and she has always protected and spoiled him immensely.”

Minseok frowned. The Emperor sounded brutish. He conjured an image in his head of a hulking bully of a man.

“Lu Han was clever, book smart but also smart in general. He knew how to handle his brothers, his mother, and the other concubines. He knew how to get what he wanted. Junmyeon was always nipping at Yifan’s heels, trying to be like him and never really succeeding. He was a gifted student when he wanted to be. Chanyeol is the optimist of the brothers, foolish and trusting. Naive. A troublemaker that lacks Lu Han’s know-how to save himself from punishment. Jongin had the most subdued and laid-back personality, he was horribly shy when he was a child.”

Minseok took in the information, musing over how differently Kyungsoo described each prince. Lu Han was clever. He didn’t doubt that.

“They were a handful when they were all together. I am Prince Jongin’s age, so the other princes are older than me. I was usually the one tagging after them on one adventure or another.” He smiled sadly. “Until one by one, they were sent inside, never to leave. Ahh, but I have made this sad.”

“You said that before the current Emperor the princes were killed. Why did it change?” Minseok asked, seizing the moment to ask a question that had been bothering him.

“The Emperor still loves his brothers, even if his mother- I mean, the Valide Empress, preferred he did not.” Kyungsoo stood, signaling the story time was over. “Come now. We should head back. If I am gone too long Chanyeol and Baekhyun will bicker over something silly.”

Minseok nodded. He should get back too.

☀ ☀

 

As the days passed, the situation was not getting better per se, but it wasn’t getting worse, which was the important part. Lu Han still said very little, but he continued to take his meals at the table with Minseok. Sometimes he seemed like he wasn’t listening at all. He still told Minseok to leave now and then, and rarely reacted with much emotion. But he wasn’t completely shutting Minseok out, which was a victory Minseok was more than willing to claim.

Sehun continued to visit, bringing meals periodically, other times just to talk to Minseok and Lu Han. He always spoke to Lu Han privately, Minseok staying far away to give them privacy. He was curious what they talked about, but he knew better than to listen.

He would make himself scarce, busying himself tidying up the front room until Sehun came downstairs and engaged him in conversation.

Before long Minseok realized he had been on Evren for a month, things were becoming routine. It was an oddly welcome feeling.

☀ ☀

 

 “You are as good as new,” Sehun announced, rolling the legs of Minseok’s trousers back down.

Minseok felt infinitely better than he had, the nasty wounds on his leg had healed into puckered scars. They were ugly, would haunt him forever, but at least they no longer hurt.  “That salve did wonders. Thank you,” he said, eternally grateful for Sehun’s help when he was injured.

“What did wonders is the fact your wounds were treated immediately. Lu Han saved you from infection,” Sehun grabbed at the bandages he had cut away from Minseok’s legs and thrown on the floor. They were in the small bedchamber, Sehun inspecting Minseok’s wounds as he had done almost daily since the incident.

“Lu Han?” Minseok furrowed his brow. Lu Han hadn’t done anything when he was injured aside from warning him about who to trust.

“He was the one who applied the salve the first day, stopped the bleeding. Don’t you remember?” Sehun balled the soiled bandages up.

“I…” Minseok couldn’t remember anything after passing out from the beating, only the faint awareness of someone speaking to him. Lu Han had cared for him during that time…. he had never once considered it was Lu Han and not Sehun who had soothed him in the hours after his punishment.

“You were pretty out of it, he said.” Sehun walked past Minseok, ready to take his leave. “Just know he probably saved your life.”

☀ ☀

 

It weighed on Minseok for the rest of the day. He need to say thank you, he needed to show his gratitude to the prince. That evening, over dinner, he managed to blurt out a hasty thank you before coloring and looking away.

Lu Han didn’t respond, they continued to eat in silence.

When Minseok made a move to gather up the dishes and retreat, Lu Han finally spoke.

“Stay,” Lu Han ordered.

Minseok sat back down. Lu Han was looking at him with his usual glassy eyes, devoid of emotions.

“Tell me more.”

And so Minseok did. He had been rambling about his family again, one of his favorite topics when he had his one-sided conversations with Lu Han. There were endless memories, and despite the emotional pain of losing them, Minseok knew time had started to heal the wound. He could speak of them now without getting misty-eyed, the memories were now fond, not painful.

The last memory he had shared was when he fell off his bike at the age of eight, crying with a scraped knee. His father had insisted he get back on the bicycle while his mother had argued, attempting to coddle the crying child. He had decided his father’s method was best.

“He was like that when I first started playing football too,” Minseok picked up where he had left off. “Insistent that I never give up.” He could remember his father standing on the sidelines. He never missed a game in the entire time Minseok played on a team, from elementary school all the way up through high school. “I tore a ligament in sophomore year and it was terrible. I felt like I had let him down.”

His father’s methods were not always perfect, but they had taught Minseok to be strong. To never give up no matter the challenge he faced.

Minseok shared more stories of his father’s tough personality, only stopping when he noticed Lu Han’s eyes begin to droop.

“Please, keep talking,” Lu Han asked, shutting his eyes.

Minseok continued, watching as Lu Han rearranged the cushions around him and laid down. Minseok shared another memory, this time of his sister’s epic win at the school spelling bee. When he finished he heard light snoring from the prince. Lu Han had fallen asleep.

Minseok crept quietly around the table, retrieving the dishes. He found himself smiling as he walked to the kitchens, a strange joy taking over at the fact Lu Han had asked him to stay for so long, had fallen asleep as he spoke. _Had trusted him._

The next day, and the day after that, the scene repeated itself. Minseok sat and shared his old life with Lu Han until the prince fell asleep, his face becoming strangely peaceful as he slipped into a deep slumber. 

☀ ☀

 

On the third day after what Minseok was mentally referring to as _the breakthrough_ , Sehun dropped in after dinner. Minseok stood, ready to retreat and give them privacy.

“Stay.” It was a much better command than _leave_ and Minseok was happy (albeit nervous) to obey.

He shifted on the cushion, clasping his hands and trying to look calm. He felt like Lu Han was letting him into some secret part of his life, his conversations with his oldest friend, presumably his _only_ friend.

Sehun smiled when he heard Lu Han give the order.

“You have been talking,” he remarked, taking a seat between Minseok and Lu Han at the edge of the table. “Good. I am glad to see it.”

Minseok tried not to stare at Lu Han too much, but it was hard not to. He was waiting, wondering how much the prince would talk to his friend. The prince still rarely said more than a few words, he couldn’t imagine hearing Lu Han have an actual conversation.

“ _Gözde_ tells me of earth,” Lu Han said softly.

Minseok’s in-ear translator did not pick up on the first word, he was curious what he meant. He would have to ask Kyungsoo or Sehun later.

Sehun looked overly smug about the news. “If I know you guys were so busy together I wouldn’t have interrupted.”

Minseok opened his mouth to protest Sehun’s assessment but Lu Han beat him to it. “We _are_ busy. So why are you here?”

Sehun laughed it off. “Can’t an old friend come say hi? Or am I replaced for good now?”

“Where could I possibly find a person as annoying as you to fill my days, Sehun? You aren’t likely to ever be replaced,” Lu Han joked, smirking. Minseok couldn’t help but stare, it was the first time he had seen Lu Han smile. It made him look so different…so much younger….

 “That isn’t what you said the other day,” Sehun shot back.

“Hey!” Lu Han protested, giving Sehun the evil eye. “That is a cheap shot.”

“I could have sworn you were yelling my name for half the harem to hear,” Sehun wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Minseok looked at the two men, mind going wild with assumptions of what they were talking about. A morose feeling settled in his gut. 

“Lies,” Lu Han rolled his eyes. He glanced at Minseok. The concubine felt his cheeks heat up at the sudden attention. “He is lying,” Lu Han whispered.

“I never lie,” Sehun replied. “But Lu Han does. _All the time_.”

Minseok faked a laugh. He reached for the dishes, feeling too overwhelmed to stay and listen to the playful banter any longer, no matter how much of a step forward it was. “I will take these to the kitchen, you two catch up.”

He noticed Lu Han open his mouth to say something, but then fall silent. Sehun didn’t pay him any attention, going back to talking to Lu Han.

Minseok trudged to the kitchen, confused and inexplicably sad.

☀ ☀

 

It was twilight, the oil lanterns now lit the passageways and courtyards. Minseok followed the now familiar path to the kitchens, holding the tray expertly. He was a pro at the journey now, lugging the dishes back and forth three times a day (assuming Sehun didn’t beat him to it).

He tried to think of anything but what he had just heard during his walk. Sehun and Lu Han’s banter had made him feel oddly out of sorts. He tried to push the conversation out of his head, to think of something else. He began to recite the multiplication tables in his head as a diversionary tactic, which worked up until he collided with something hard.

The tray went flying, dishes falling to the ground and shattering against the paving stones. Minseok stumbled back, nearly falling himself. He cried out in surprise, startled when he noticed what he had run smack dab into.

A man. A very tall man who was staring at Minseok with a look of mortification on his face. He looked down at the broken dishes and then back to Minseok. “I’m sorry!” he blurted out, crouching down to retrieve the shattered porcelain.

Minseok waited a second before doing the same, catching his breath and regaining his bearings. “It’s fine,” he reassured the man, carefully reaching for the broken pieces, trying not to cut himself on the jagged pieces.

“No, it isn’t,” the man responded. His large hands dwarfed Minseok’s, grabbing up the broken shards faster than Minseok. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

Minseok glanced at the man’s face, confirming that he had never seen him before. He had full cheeks, blonde hair, thick brows, and a prominent jawline. There was something about him that seemed...refined in some bizarre way.

“I can clean the rest up,” Minseok said quickly, not wanting to inconvenience the man any further without knowing his identity. Lu Han’s warning about trust rang in his ears, he needed to be careful.

The man swept up the remaining shards with his hand, the side of his hand dragging against the paving stones, moving the shards to a neat pile. He ignored Minseok’s protests, carefully picking up the pile of broken dishes and setting them back on the tray.

Minseok grabbed the tray and stood, mumbling thanks, ready to dash off towards the kitchens.

“You are Lu Han’s?” the man asked, craning his neck down to get a look at Minseok’s face.

“Ah. Yes,” Minseok answered, looking down at the tray.

“I am–” the man paused. “Kris. A servant of the harem.”

Minseok looked up at him, relieved that he was a servant, not a vindictive eunuch or a new concubine that may view him as a threat. So far, he had only good experiences with the servants of the harem, in large part due to his newfound friendship with Sehun.

“It is nice to meet you,” Minseok said politely, feeling the tension evaporate from him.

“I’m usually not so clumsy or distracted, I swear.” Kris smiled.

There was something oddly endearing about the way the man shifted on his feet, looking a tad bit nervous. Minseok supposed he felt like he had done something terribly wrong, running into a concubine, a person who outranked him in the world of the harem.

“It is fine. I understand.” Minseok offered him a reassuring smile. “I can be very clumsy sometimes.”

“Ah, really?” Kris scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “It is nice to know I’m not the only one.”

“No, you aren’t.” Minseok smiled. There was a moment of awkward silence before Kris stepped aside, giving Minseok free passage.

“I’ll let you be on your way then…. I’m sorry, what is your name?”

“Minseok,” he answered, surprised anyone cared to know it. He was pretty sure most of the harem knew him as Lu Han’s human and that was how they preferred to refer to him.

“Goodnight, Minseok, and sorry again.”

“Goodnight, Kris. And really it is no trouble.” Minseok brushed past the servant, a tray of broken dishes held high.

☀ ☀

 

 “I had a phase when I was really into trading cards. I used to spend all my allowance on them, buy them from the school store with my lunch money.” Minseok chuckled, remembering how desperate he had been to get that _one_ card, the one that his best friend at the time had found in the first pack of cards he bought.

“What are trading cards?” Lu Han asked, struggling to pronounce the words.

They were sitting around the low table, eating breakfast. Minseok could tell the moment he reached the top of the stairs that something had changed, the atmosphere was lighter. The days Lu Han had slowly let him in seemed to kill the previous animosity between them, morphing it into an easier going but still a slightly awkward relationship.

Minseok made a gesture with his hands, trying to mimic the size of the football cards he used to collect. “They have players on them with their stats on the back. Some are more valuable than others.”

Lu Han nodded like he understood but Minseok could still see the confusion in his eyes.

“The important thing is that I went without lunch for almost a month before my parents caught on and made me stop buying them from the school store.”

Lu Han picked at the plate of fruit. Minseok joined him, halting his story to eat.

Periodically he allowed himself the luxury of glancing at Lu Han, almost hoping that he would see something different about him. That something with his demeanor had changed aside from the thaw in their relationship, but he didn’t notice a change. The prince was still pale, fragile looking, his eyes still had the same haunting quality as the first time they met. 

“Did you sleep well last night?” Minseok asked. When he had returned from the kitchens he had avoided going back upstairs. He ended up falling asleep in the small bedchamber without seeing Lu Han to sleep first, a break in their new routine.

Lu Han nodded.

Minseok wanted to ask how long Sehun stayed, but it wasn’t any of his business. It didn’t even matter, Sehun dropped in sporadically as it was. Why now was it bothering him, was he wondering such things?

He looked at the bookshelves, needing a distraction. He felt comfortable enough to ask, “What type of books do you read?”

Lu Han followed his gaze, pursing his lips. “Those?” he asked dumbly like there was another stack of books that Minseok could be referring to. “History. Politics. Military tactics.”

Minseok considered his answer. “Are those your favorite subjects?”

Lu Han shrugged. “It is what I have always been good at.”

They were the perfect subjects for a future Emperor to study. The type of information that would help a person rule fairly, intelligently. He wondered if Lu Han ever thought about becoming Emperor, if he would ever want it.

Minseok tried to imagine the man in front of him leading an entire planet, sitting on a throne, carrying the burden of a large population on his shoulders. Something about Lu Han seemed too frail to lead, too broken. At least that was Minseok’s perception for what it was worth.

“What are you thinking about?” Lu Han asked, taking a bite of an apple.

“Do you ever…if you…” he didn’t want to phrase the question wrong. “Would you like to be Emperor someday?”

Lu Han smiled in amusement. “Perhaps,” he answered cryptically. “It would be better than being locked up for the rest of my life.”

Minseok couldn’t argue with his sentiment.

“Do I not seem like Emperor material to you?” Lu Han asked, fighting a smirk. “Am I not handsome enough?”

Minseok rolled his eyes. “Are looks the only thing that makes a great Emperor?”

“No,” Lu Han answered. “But it is what would matter to the Emperor’s spouse.”

Minseok gaped at Lu Han. Was he flirting with him?

Lu Han chuckled. “Or is that not what you would be if I were to sit on the throne?”

“Can I ask you something?” Minseok was afraid to say it but he wanted to know and Lu Han was in an unusually good and talkative mood.

“Of course.”

“Why did they give me to you?” Minseok had this question in the back of his mind since day one, since Lu Han sneered at him and commented on him being human.

“I am not the Valide Empress’s favorite prince and you have no possibility of getting pregnant. She waited as long as she could to give me anyone at all and when she did, of course, it was someone who wouldn’t pose a threat to her son.“ Lu Han’s response was cold and calculating and it stung. “Or that is the easy answer,” the prince added. “The truth is probably more complicated than that. It usually is.”

Minseok felt a stirring in his chest, a sour emotion. “I see.”

“For what it is worth, I am glad you are here,” Lu Han said. Minseok couldn’t decipher the sincerity behind his words and it annoyed him.

The prince had said barely anything to him, yet a few words could turn his mood one way or another. He wasn’t sure that he liked it.

☀ ☀

 

Later that day Minseok ventured outside of Lu Han’s residence, having promised to meet Kyungsoo for a long stroll in the gardens. He was surprised to find Baekhyun there as well, noisily chatting with Kyungsoo to the point they didn’t notice Minseok's approach.

Minseok cleared his throat to get their attention. Both concubines looked in his direction, Baekhyun stepping forward and pulling Minseok into a hug. Minseok balked at the sudden show of affection from a man he barely knew. “I am so happy you are healed,” Baekhyun gushed.

Minseok looked over his shoulder, sharing a look with Kyungsoo, who smiled and shrugged.

“Have you heard the news?” Baekhyun broke the hug, holding Minseok at arm’s length. His expression was full of energy, a smile on his face.

“He hasn’t.” Kyungsoo knew very well how cautious Minseok was. He had invited him to concubine’s gatherings over the last couple weeks, Minseok hesitating and eventually declining every invitation extended to him.

“The Empress of Osiris will visit in a fortnight. The prince’s concubines will attend to represent their husbands.” Kyungsoo’s expression, his tone, told Minseok this was not an optional engagement. “You will need to attend as Lu Han’s representative.”

“We get new clothes, great food, and it is one of the rare times we spend time in the company of the Emperor!” Baekhyun gushed, shaking Minseok excitedly.

“Osiris is the third planet from the twin suns, very near our own,” Kyungsoo explained dryly, his demeanor the opposite of Baekhyun's joy. “It is a very important gathering, so you best prepare well for it.”

Minseok felt his anxiety bubble up at Kyungsoo’s words. “How do I prepare?” he asked, already dreading the answer.

“It will be a very formal affair as the Emperor will be in attendance. It is best that you brush up on palace customs, so you avoid making mistakes,” Kyungsoo explained.

Minseok swallowed. He felt helpless, completely overwhelmed.

“We will help as much as we can,” Kyungsoo reassured him.

“Yeah. I mean, we can’t have one of our own ruining the party,” Baekhyun added. Minseok couldn't tell if he was joking or if there was a vindictive nature behind his words.

“You will need a new outfit for the event,” Kyungsoo said. “And jewelry.”

“Speaking of outfit…” Baekhyun looked past Minseok. He nodded and smiled at the two concubines before excusing himself, sauntering off.

Minseok turned to see Sehun standing across the garden, his hands in his pockets. Baekhyun was headed in his direction.

“Are they friends?” Minseok turned back to Kyungsoo and gave him a questioning look.

“Sehun works with the tailors, Baekhyun is probably fishing for a new bolt of fabric,” Kyungsoo explained.

Minseok glanced back again, this time Sehun had his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. The gesture was familiar, perhaps even fond.

“Pay them no mind,” Kyungsoo whispered, angling his body so he could loop his arm through Minseok’s. He guided them down the garden path, distracting Minseok with talk of the upcoming event.

☀ ☀

 

Later that evening, over dinner, Minseok laid out all his worries to Lu Han, rambling on to the Prince about the event, his anxiety, the worst-case scenario (burning down the palace, spilling something on the Valide Empress, losing his in-ear translator and never knowing what was being said...the list was extensive). He wrung his hands, imagining he looked terrible as he ranted and raved about the event.

When there was a pause in Minseok's ramblings, Lu Han finally spoke. “Calm down.” And it was an order, Minseok could tell.

He took a deep breath, but it was fruitless. There was no way he was going to be calm with the knowledge he would have to attend an outing with the woman who had beaten him half to death.

Lu Han chuckled, his laughter causing Minseok to frown. This wasn’t a laughing manner.

“I can’t figure you out, you know,” Lu Han said. His eyes twinkled with mischief, making Minseok more indignant. “You seem so brave most of the time and now you are worried about a party.”

Minseok narrowed his eyes at the prince. Couldn’t figure him out? If that wasn’t the pot calling the kettle black…” Is it something I shouldn’t worry about?”

“I didn’t say that.” Lu Han reached for his cup of sweet wine. “You should worry, but about more realistic things.  I don’t even know how you would set the palace on fire. And aren't in-ear translators practically glued into your ear?”

 Minseok opened his mouth to say something and then he closed it, a realization hitting him. “Don’t you wear an in-ear?” he asked dumbly, tilting his head to confirm that one of the devices rested in Lu Han’s ear. It was custom, on earth, on practically every planet. He had noticed everyone in the palace wearing them so far. A planet might share a common language, but an in-ear solved the problem of regional dialects and words that could be foreign to a segment of the population.

Lu Han shook his head. “No.”

Minseok gaped. “Then how–”

“My mother is human,” Lu Han answered quickly. “She spoke a language very similar to yours. I don’t understand everything you say, but most of it.”

Minseok stared at Lu Han, dumbfounded. The prince was half human? He could never have imagined that the man he was married to was anything but a full-blooded Evrenian.

“The important things you need to know for the party, I will teach you,” Lu Han took a sip of his sweet wine before continuing. “If you want me to, of course.”

“Please,” Minseok practically begged. He needed all the help he could get.

Lu Han nodded. “We will start tomorrow. Now tell me a story, I’m tired.”

Minseok gladly launched into a tale of his first day at his last job, a mess of a time that involved being horribly late and confusing where he had to go. Lu Han sat and listened intently for a while before he rearranged the cushions and rested on the floor.

Minseok crept downstairs after he heard Lu Han begin to softly snore. Later, as he was lying in his own bed, Minseok realized that the day had held an important milestone. It was the first time he had ever heard Lu Han laugh. He found a smile appearing on his face at the memory.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok chewed his bottom lip. His shoulders were tense, eyes cast towards the ceiling like he could find the answers somewhere above. He began speaking with a shaky voice. “Wendy, Seulgi, Onew, Irene...Minho…”

“No. Try again,” Lu Han interrupted, smacking his palm on the table.

Minseok flinched. It was day one of their lessons and he was failing miserably. He had already tried to recite the order of the concubines four times, each time making a mistake.

“Can you tell me if I got any of them, right?” Minseok asked, hoping Lu Han would give him a hint, something to confirm where he had made a mistake.

Lu Han shook his head no. Minseok decided then and there that the prince was worse than his eleventh-grade math teacher and Minseok had hated him with a passion.

“Wendy, Seulgi, Onew, Irene...J-Jisoo….” Minseok stared at Lu Han, waiting for him to slam his palm back down. When he didn’t, Minseok continued. “Minho. Kyungsoo…”

Slam. Minseok jumped. “Can you stop doing that?!”

“Can you get the order correct?” Lu Han challenged.

Minseok was about to shoot back with an angry response but was stopped when Sehun waltzed into the room. Instead, he ended up sending the servant an icy glare.

“Trouble in paradise?” Sehun asked, raising his eyebrows at Minseok’s sour expression.

“Minseok is learning the order of precedence for the reception,” Lu Han explained.

“Ahhh. Good luck with that.” Sehun carried a small tray to the table, setting it down and lifting off the cover. A plate of sweet rolls was piled high, Lu Han immediately grabbing for one.

Minseok leaned back, scowling at them both. He was disappointed in himself, annoyed with Lu Han’s stern teaching habits, and Sehun and his sarcasm was the last thing he needed at the moment.

“I had the kitchens make these this morning,” Sehun explained, sitting down at the table.

“You remembered?” Lu Han asked, smiling with his mouth full of sweet cakes.

Minseok fought against rolling his eyes. “I see you’re close with Baekhyun,” he blurted out, feeling petty.

Sehun narrowed his eyes at Minseok. “He was a servant before he was a concubine. Of course, I am close to him.”

Minseok colored in embarrassment. “I’m going for a walk,” he announced, standing and stalking out of the room before either man could stop him.

☀ ☀

 

He took the path towards the kitchens first, but turned to the east at the last minute, stalking towards one of the gardens he knew was safe for him to walk in. He couldn’t shake his annoyance, couldn’t stop making a sour face and mimicking “ _I had the kitchens make these this morning_ ”. Sehun and his...his…

Minseok stopped and snorted at the thought of...of...

“Minseok, right?” Kris stepped out from one of the narrow side passages that ran along the wider pathway that Minseok had been traversing. He wore a bright smile, completely opposite from Minseok's scowl.

“Uh, yeah.” Minseok shook off his annoyance, returning the smile. “Kris?”

“You remember!” Kris looked thrilled that Minseok could recall his name.

“Yes, I remember.” Minseok rocked on the balls of his feet for a moment, feeling awkward, Kris just standing and smiling at him, not saying anything.

“Uh- sorry, you are probably busy. I just wanted to say hi.” Kris stepped aside.

“Ah, I was going for a walk to clear my head,” Minseok admitted.

“Is something the matter?” Kris asked, smile disappearing.

Minseok sighed. “No, not really. I mean, not that I know of.” It was a stupid answer, but it was honest. He wasn’t sure why Sehun was getting on his nerves so much lately. “I’m learning some new things right now and well, brain overload,” Minseok added, trying to make sense.

“Brain _over-load_?” Kris pursed his lips. “That sounds serious.”

“Too much information at once,” Minseok clarified. “Makes my head hurt.” He tapped his temple.

“Oh! I see. I hate to study, I completely understand,” Kris admitted. “When my tut-...I, when I was younger I detested school.”

“I liked school, but it is very different than,” Minseok gestured to their surroundings, _“Here_. Everything is so different than Earth.”

“I imagine it is. If you need help with anything I will do my best to explain it,” Kris offered, gesturing with his hands.

“The prince is helping me,” Minseok blurted out, feeling instantly rude for answering Kris’s offer of help with the statement he already had a teacher. “But I will be sure to ask you if I can think of anything.”

“Great.”

Another awkward bout of silence, Kris smiling, Minseok shifting on his feet.

“I should be going,” Minseok held his hand up in a small wave.

“Ah, yes. Please, go. Have a good day, Minseok.” Kris stepped aside to let him pass.

Minseok kept his head down as he walked past the servant, smirking at how awkward the tall man was.

☀ ☀

 

When Minseok returned to the Prince’s residence Sehun was gone. He listened at the foot of the stairs before climbing up to the large domed room, deciding he wasn’t going upstairs if he heard the servant.

“Did you have a nice walk?” Lu Han asked when Minseok walked into the room.

“Yes.”

Lu Han was standing by his easel when Minseok arrived, a paint palette in his hand. When the prince spotted Minseok he walked over to sit at the low table, taking his usual spot. Minseok sat across from him brushing aside a few of the silk cushions that had somehow ended up where he usually sat. “How is Sehun?” he found himself asking, feigning a friendly smile.

“Good,” Lu Han answered. The plate of sweet rolls was still on the table, but a few were missing. “He waited for you to return for a while, but he had to get back to work.”

“How does a servant sneak off so often?” Minseok queried, feeling his chest tighten. Why was he acting like...like…

“He works in the Imperial tailors’ quarters now. They have more freedom than many servants in the harem,” Lu Han explained.

“I see.” Minseok zoned out, staring at the plate of sweet rolls.

“Please recite the concubines’ precedence,” Lu Han ordered.

Minseok closed his eyes for a moment. “Wendy, Seulgi, Minho-”

Slam. “Again.”

☀ ☀

 

Minseok ran into Sehun later that day, in the evening when he was taking their dinner plates back to the kitchens. The servant was waiting outside the sprawling kitchen complex, arms folded against his chest, a look of perpetual boredom on his face. Minseok almost turned around when he spotted Sehun, but he decided against it. He had to stop acting...however he was acting. Sehun had never really bothered him before, why now?

“It is Lu Han’s birthday today,” were the first words out of Sehun’s mouth.

Minseok almost dropped the tray he was holding. “What?!”

“As in the day he was born, you had those on earth, I assume,” Sehun said dryly. “I was going to tell you this morning, but you took off as soon as I got there.”

Lu Han’s birthday. He had no idea, the prince hadn’t said anything. “Shit,” Minseok swore, feeling like an ass. “What do you do for birthdays here?”

“First, we find a goat, and then after we slaughter it-” Sehun burst out laughing. “The look on your face, I swear.”

Minseok narrowed his eyes.

“Fine, fine. Birthdays are not a big deal here, but for Lu Han they always were. His mother isn’t from here, but she celebrated them a lot like people on earth, I suppose. With a cake and presents,” Sehun explained. “If you go inside there is a cake waiting for him. I can’t help you with the presents, but I am sure you will think of something.” Sehun reached out and patted Minseok on the shoulder. “Good luck.”

Minseok sighed, watching the servant leave. _Birthday_. He had a birthday to celebrate.

Minseok carried the cake back to Lu Han’s home, trying to think of something he could give the man as a present. He didn't have anything, not really. He didn’t own much...or anything if he thought hard about it. Everything he had he had received once he had landed on the planet. The things in Lu Han’s home didn’t belong to him, not really.

He felt a sinking feeling at the reality he would have nothing to give Lu Han. He trudged back into the house and up the stairs, plastering on the widest smile he could muster. Birthdays should be happy.

The second Lu Han noticed the cake, his eyes went wide with surprise. “Did Sehun send this?” he asked, standing up, eyes trained on the white cake.

Minseok gritted his teeth. He carried the cake to the table and set it down in silence.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Han asked, sensing Minseok's shift in mood despite his best attempts at concealing it.

“Are you in love with Sehun?” Minseok blurted out, immediately wishing he could take it all back. Where did that come from?! He was horrified at his own insecurities, at the accusation, at…

Lu Han laughed. “What? No, of course not.” He continued to laugh, holding his stomach as his body shook with mirth.

Minseok felt his cheeks grow warm, he was horribly embarrassed.

“Did you think _we_ \- Sehun and I?” Lu Han continued to laugh.

Minseok stared at the carpet. “Well, it isn’t such a crazy thing to think considering how you act around him.”

Lu Han stopped laughing suddenly. “Are you… jealous?”

Minseok snapped his head up, mortified. “No.”

Lu Han smirked. “Gözde, you _are_ jealous.”

“I am not!” Minseok protested. He wasn’t jealous. No, he was just...he was…

“Does that mean you like me?” Lu Han wagered, suddenly sounding far too serious.

Minseok had every desire to flee. How was he going to answer that? “I…” he took a deep breath. “I don’t _dislike_ you if that is what you are asking.”

Of course, he didn’t hate Lu Han, not anymore. Not when their futures were so intertwined. Not when the prince had started to open to him, offered to help him. Had given up his apparent hatred for him, had acted as a sounding board, letting Minseok ramble on. Not when he began to trust him, to fall asleep as Minseok recounted mundane details of a life long gone. He didn't hate him, but he couldn’t say he felt a strong affection for him, not in a romantic sense. At least he didn’t think so...he didn’t really care to delve too deeply into that train of thought.

“I don’t dislike you either,” Lu Han said softly, not looking away.

Minseok could feel his cheeks flame. He swallowed. “Happy Birthday, Lu Han.”

“Thank you.” Lu Han sat down at the table, easing the strange tension that had developed between them.

Minseok silently followed suit. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a present for you.”

“It is fine,” Lu Han assured him. “It isn’t something I thought you would know of. Only Sehun remembers, and that is because we have been together since we were very young. We are good _friends_ , Minseok. Best friends. Sehun likes to joke around if you haven't noticed. When he says things, they are often in jest.”

The embarrassment that had started to dissipate returned at Lu Han’s explanation. Minseok stared at the cake, not daring to look at the man across from him. He felt so petty, jumping to conclusions. He busied himself cutting the cake, trying not to dwell on his mortification.

“There is one thing you can give me,” Lu Han said slowly.

“Hmm?” Minseok asked, curious what it could possibly be.

“I want to paint a portrait of you,” Lu Han said as he took the piece of cake that Minseok offered him.

Minseok stilled. “Of me?” he asked dumbly.

“If you will let me. I can sketch it first and then paint it later.” Lu Han was staring at him again, that intense gaze that made Minseok want to look away in embarrassment.

“I-I guess if you want.” Minseok had never had his portrait painted. Photographed, yes, but not painted. It was another antiquated part of this alien world, and somehow it seemed more important than a simple click of a camera shutter.

“Then that is all the present I need.” Lu Han smiled and Minseok’s stomach did flip-flops. He decided it was safer to pay attention to his cake than to make eye contact with the prince again.

After the cake had a quarter carved out of it, Lu Han beckoned Minseok towards the latticed windows. He arranged cushions on the ground, maneuvered a few oil lanterns closer. Minseok watched him work with interest, amazed at how Lu Han’s entire being seemed to change when he was focused on something.

“Sit,” Lu Han ordered, patting the cushions.

Minseok felt awkward as he sat cross-legged on the pile of cushions, watching while Lu Han retrieved a large sketch pad from the bookshelf on the far end of the room.

“Do I need to sit a certain way or…?” Minseok bit his bottom lip, tried to think of the best posture.

“Sit the way that feels most comfortable,” Lu Han instructed as he flipped through the book, pages crinkling as he turned them.

Minseok shifted, finally stopping when his posture was stick straight, perfect as possible.

“Sit like you normally do,” Lu Han sighed at him. He grabbed for a charcoal pencil.

Minseok relaxed into the cushions, resting his hands on his lap. “Where do I look?”

“Where do you want to look?”

Minseok immediately looked towards the windows, knowing he didn’t want to be staring at Lu Han the entire time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lu Han begin drawing, his gaze darting from Minseok to the page and back to Minseok as the pencil moved over the paper.

He wondered when Lu Han began to draw and paint, if it happened before he was locked away. He wondered what solace, if any, the prince found in his hobby. He wondered what happened to the paintings he had completed, if Sehun took them away or if they were stashed in some corner of the house Minseok wasn’t aware of.

He wondered a lot of things as he sat in the silence, staring at the dark window. Lu Han was an enigma. Minseok knew the prince’s mind was sharp, his intentions never clear. His thoughts a mystery, his entire life hard to comprehend. And yet here he was, deposited in this place, joined together with this person, due to his own loss and need to carry on. Each day he was learning something new about himself, about the planet he now called home, about the man who was his husband.

Each day his feelings were a mess, confusion was the rule of the day. He fought against thinking too much but ended up chastising himself when he thought too little of things. He hated feeling angry, but he was reluctant to admit he was happy. He was struggling in this place and he desperately needed something to lean on. Someone to lean on.

And he knew he wanted Lu Han to be that person.

“It is done,” the prince announced after many minutes.

“Can I see?” Minseok asked, leaning forward.

“No. Not yet.” Lu Han closed the sketchpad and returned it to its place on the bookshelf. “Tell me a story Gözde.”

Minseok nodded. “Okay.”

☀ ☀

 

The days passed quickly, Minseok trying to learn all that he could about the formalities of the upcoming event, scowling at Lu Han every time he slammed his palm on the table until the prince eventually replaced the gesture with a firm but far gentler “ _try again_ ”.

They spent all day together, holed up in the large domed room, Minseok hugging a cushion to his middle as he continued his habit of staring at the ceiling for an answer, a habit that Lu Han picked up on and started teasing him about. Lu Han sitting, perfect posture, at the opposite side of the table, explaining the ins-and-outs of a formal reception for a foreign Empress.

The more time he spent with Lu Han the more he realized the prince was truly a very clever individual. Minseok could almost call him sly, the way he anticipated Minseok’s questions, quick to answer with something witty or teasing.

They laughed together now, smiled and made jokes. And when Sehun dropped by Minseok no longer felt the strange frustration that he had before, though he dared not to overanalyze his previous feelings too much.

All that he wanted to dwell on was that he was feeling...dare he admit, _happy._ Happy that Lu Han was talking to him, laughing with him. That they were friends. That for once in a very long time he felt like he had a home, even if it was light years from the planet he was born on.

☀ ☀

 

 “You will look stunning in it, I am sure of it.” Kyungsoo handed a carefully wrapped parcel to Minseok, his smile wide. They stood in the gardens, their habitual meeting place.

“Thanks.” Minseok felt like he didn’t deserve anything grand, not when Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had talked his ear off about how amazing his new set of robes were, how jealous they were. He had protested when the concubines first told him they would take care of selecting his outfit for the festivities, only relenting when Sehun agreed they were probably the two best people to do it. Lu Han had merely shrugged and told him it was up to him.

“I wanted the fabric for myself, I will have you know.” Baekhyun tapped a finger on the parcel and pouted.

Minseok smirked. “Thank you, both of you, for everything.”

Kyungsoo cleared his throat and gestured at Baekhyun.

“Oh, right!” Baekhyun pulled a smaller parcel from the folds of his robes. “Jewelry.” He set the package on top of the one Minseok was holding.

“There is a ring in the package that has a very special purpose,” Kyungsoo mentioned.

Minseok looked down at the package, wishing he could open it then and there.

“Don’t let him scare you,” Baekhyun interjected. “It’s just something in case the worst might happen, which isn’t unheard of at things like these. The civilized world can be an ugly place especially when other planets are involved.”

“There is a small amount of sedative in the ring, if you press the stone it will reveal itself. A tiny drop and the person will be incapacitated for a short period of time.”

“Why would I need something like that?!” Minseok’s voice was shrill but they had hit a nerve. He was already terrified about the celebration as it was, he didn’t need another reason to panic about it.

“The veeeery unlikely chance someone tries to attack the visiting Empress and you get caught in the middle,” Baekhyun explained. “We will all have them. If something happens and you need to defend yourself, a nice punch with your ring will render your attacker unconscious. Again, not very likely, but just in case.”

Minseok sighed. “Great. So we might be attacked.”

“We won’t be but it is better to be safe than sorry.” Kyungsoo reached over and patted Minseok on the shoulder. “It is something we all have to think of now and then, Minseok. Do not worry.”

Minseok doubted he could easily forget being given a ring carrying sedatives. He pretended he brushed it off while he was with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun but the minute he returned home he mentioned it to Lu Han.

“It happened once, in my grandfather’s reign,” Lu Han said. “It was a foreign dignitary that was visiting and rebels from their own planet ambushed them in the palace. It is a necessary precaution Minseok but rest assured the Empress of Osiris does not have a brewing civil war that she is dealing with. Nothing will happen.”

Minseok wanted to argue against taking the ring at all if nothing was going to happen but he knew there was logic in it…just in case.

☀ ☀

 

 “I want to tell you now,” Lu Han said one evening, leaning back on the silky cushions, his arms stretched back, bent at the elbow, supporting his head.

Minseok sat on a pile of cushions, picking at the remnants of their dessert. He stopped what he was doing and reclined back, curious.

“I haven’t told you about my own life,” Lu Han said quietly.

“You don’t have to,” Minseok cut in. “Don’t feel like you have to.”

“I want to,” Lu Han insisted, the atmosphere immediately turning serious.

Minseok had imagined many things in the time he had been on Evren. A prince locked away from the time he hit puberty until now. Never leaving the prison he was forced into. Alone, his life spent wasting away all because he might someday covet the throne for himself. Minseok had imagined that sense of loneliness, imagined what Lu Han might think of as he stared through the lattice windows, to the courtyard he could never step in. Pain, all of what he imagined was painful. Like a caged animal, a life spent at the mercy of those who put him in this prison.

In many ways, Minseok didn’t want to hear of it, was afraid to hear of it. Lu Han had morphed from the angry man he had first met the rigid but affable man that he knew now. His painful side...it scared him.

“I wasn’t always kept locked up, you know.” Lu Han’s voice was soft. “When I was a child I could go anywhere in this part of the harem. I had fun. My brothers, they were free too. We played among the kitchens, the gardens. We drove our tutors insane, I swear. We were a handful.”

Minseok grabbed a pillow and hugged it to him, settling in to listen.

The silence stretched on for almost a minute before Lu Han spoke again. “When we were children the harem was our playground. Yifan was always the leader, always the strongest one. He had a mischievous streak that he hides well from his mother. He used to sneak out of the harem, wander in the rest of the palace. Somehow he never got caught. I followed him a few times, but for the most part, I was too afraid. Junmyeon would pretend he was brave enough, but he never was. I don’t think Chanyeol or Jongin ever once considered leaving this section of the harem, they had it too good. Their mothers spoiled them rotten.” He chuckled.

“My mother tried to toughen me up but she did indulge me when she could. I wasn’t spoiled, it was hard to be spoiled when your mother wasn’t the favorite of the Emperor. She was human, always an outsider.” Lu Han sighed. “I suppose you feel that now to some degree.”

When Minseok didn’t answer he continued his reminiscence. “None of our mothers could hold a candle to Yifan’s, which is why it all ended up the way it did. The mother of the Emperor will lord over the palace, whether the Emperor’s brothers live or die. Yifan let us live, but locked us away so we could never dream of coveting his position.”

 “I don’t hate my life, but I miss it. I miss the outside. I miss my mother…” Lu Han sucked in a deep breathe. “She was executed the day Yifan became Emperor, orders of his mother. All of them were. I never got to say goodbye.”

“I miss her, I miss my brothers.  I want to know what it is like to be free. I want to know what it is like to see my family.”

Minseok thought of his own family, long gone, fallen to the chaos, to the destruction that was earth in its final years. He swallowed back his tears.

“It is better to be alive though, I remind myself. It is better to be able to breathe the fresh air, even if I am not allowed in it.”

Better to be alive. Minseok closed his eyes, willing away the tears that threatened to spill.

“You have seen worse than I have, I am sure of it. Yet you carry on, you smile. Who am I to be sad, I remind myself,” Lu Han’s voice was barely above a whisper. Quiet voices in the cavernous room, two lost souls together, each with their own pain.

Minseok thought of his own mother, of the day she passed on. Their house was shelled, his entire family gone with one fell swoop. It was particularly cruel to lose them all at once, but it had strengthened his resolve in many ways.

“I survive for them,” Minseok said quietly. “The ones I left behind.”

Silence. Mutual contemplation.

“You are strong, Gözde,” Lu Han said. “I am happy you found your way to me. I’ve been so alone.”

Minseok opened his eyes, letting the tears spill. He allowed his vulnerability show, the pain behind his perseverance. He let it show, knowing Lu Han was exposing his own pain in turn.

“My life hasn’t been terrible. Not entirely. Like you. Your memories, I can tell you were happy. Hearing them makes me realize what I need to focus on, what I need to let go of. Thank you, Minseok, for helping me realize this.”

Minseok stared at the blue and white tiles, the rich purple, the golden and green mosaic that spiraled towards the precipice of the dome. He wiped at the corners of his eyes. “We all have our own pain.”

“That is true,” Lu Han said softly.

They were both quiet for some minutes, lost in thought. Minseok’s tears dried, but the melancholy that had set in didn’t disappear. He felt angry for Lu Han, angry for himself. Angry for all the things both missed. At the same time, he felt something akin to pride that they both carried on, that they both went on living.

“Gözde, will you lay with me?” Lu Han asked quietly. “Beside me, I mean.”

Minseok tensed, mind going blank. “Okay.”

He sat up, setting the pillow he had been hugging aside. He could feel his heartbeat pick up as he crept around the table, to where Lu Han was lying on the carpet. The prince watched him, eyes heavily lidded. Minseok grabbed a cushion and slid it next to Lu Han. He laid down on his back, at least a half foot of space separating himself from the prince.

The ornately tiled ceiling was his focal point once again, even if his body was screaming, hyper-aware of his proximity to Lu Han.

Minseok jumped when he felt Lu Han’s hand on his own.

He looked over at Lu Han, the prince smiling softly at him. Minseok relaxed as Lu Han’s hand encased his, a gentle touch.

“Goodnight Gözde,” Lu Han whispered.

“Goodnight.” Minseok relaxed, closing his eyes and letting sleep take over.

☀ ☀

 

Confusion set in when Minseok awoke the next morning. He opened his eyes, blinking tiredly, his mind still in the fog of sleep. He rolled onto his side, squinting when he realized he wasn’t alone.  The memory of where he was came rushing back, causing Minseok to bolt upright. Lu Han was still asleep next to him.

Minseok couldn’t look away. Lu Han looked so peaceful in sleep, the wrinkles in his brow gone, his troubled expression replaced by one of calm. He wished he could see the prince look this relaxed when he was awake.

Their talk the night before came rushing back. Lu Han trusted him enough to talk of the past, to talk of the things he thought, the things he felt. It made Minseok’s heart swell to know he had earned that trust, that they could share such things together.

He scooted away from Lu Han, careful not to wake him. He smiled at the sight, feeling a tug in his chest as he took one last look at the prince before leaving to fetch their breakfast.

 

 

“You seem happy,” Kyungsoo remarked that afternoon. They were seated in the garden on one of the stone benches that rested under the mammoth green and white trees Minseok still didn’t know the name of. “I take it things are going well with the prince.”

Minseok nodded. “We talk now. He’s been helping me.” He couldn’t hide his smile, couldn’t entirely ignore the warm sensation in his chest when he thought of Lu Han.

“I am glad it is going better now. You’ve had a rough time,” Kyungsoo said. “It will be good to appear happy at the gathering tomorrow. It will be a better representation of the prince if you appear lighthearted.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Minseok. He had been listening to Kyungsoo, really, but he had recalled the word that Lu Han continued to use, the one his in-ear never picked up. “Kyungsoo, what does _Gözde_ mean?”

“It means favorite,” Kyungsoo explained, looking amused. “Where did you hear the word?”

Minseok felt his cheeks grow warm. “Uh, around. I heard someone say it and my in-ear didn’t recognize it.”

 _Favorite_. He tried to shake off the joy he was feeling, embarrassed to smile like a fool in front of Kyungsoo. “Tomorrow, um, the Emperor’s concubines will be there, right?”

“Hm.”

“What are they like?” Minseok already knew he would stay as far away from them as possible. The order of precedence meant he would be seated far away, probably barely glimpsing the highest ranking concubines in the harem. It was small talk to ease his embarrassment.

“The Emperor is very selective,” Kyungsoo began. “He has a type, I guess you would say. Funny now that I think of it…”

“What?” Minseok blinked at Kyungsoo.

“You know, you are very much his type if I look at the rest of his harem.”

Minseok snorted. He doubted he could carry a torch to the likes of the men and women who served the Emperor of Evren. If he had learned one thing while on the planet, one thing while in the harem, it was that the higher ranking a concubine was the more luxurious they appeared.

Kyungsoo reached over and patted Minseok’s knee. “They are all a bunch of stuck up prudes, to be honest.”

Minseok laughed. “Tell me more.”

Kyungsoo entertained him for many minutes with scandalous details of each of the Imperial harem’s concubines and their excesses. It was a welcome reprieve from more serious thoughts.

☀ ☀

 

 “You snore in your sleep,” Lu Han said that evening, looking bemused.

“So do you,” Minseok shot back, smiling at the prince.

They were going through the appropriate responses that Minseok would need to make at the event, the bows, the way he should stand. They had been through it all before, but this was the last time before Minseok would attend.

“Then perhaps we were made for each other,” Lu Han retorted. Minseok hated that he couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

“Does that mean you want me to sleep here tonight as well?” Minseok quirked his eyebrow, feeling bold.

Lu Han shrugged. “I was thinking of asking Sehun but since you offered…”

Minseok slapped the prince in the arm, scowling.

Lu Han laughed it off, rubbing his arm in mock pain. “Okay, let’s start the practice from the beginning.”

Minseok sighed and rolled his eyes, fighting back a smile.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok tried and failed to find sleep, he was restless through the night as he thought of the myriad of ways the day before him may go wrong (no matter what Lu Han said). He lay flat on his back in the large domed room, Lu Han snoring quietly beside him. When the twin suns rose over the harem, Minseok sighed and got out of bed.

While walking to the kitchens he could immediately feel the different atmosphere in the palace. Servants were bustling about the narrow pathways, preparing for the day’s events. The harem was alive, buzzing with excitement for what was to come. It only increased Minseok’s anxiety over the event.

The kitchen attendants were uncharacteristically short with Minseok, shoving the tray at him without a second glance. On the way back to Lu Han’s residence, Minseok spotted several servants from the tailor’s quarters, arms full of silken robes. Every concubine in the harem would be dressed in their best garments today, their hair and makeup applied with the utmost care.

They would be the faces of the princes they belonged to, the face that greeted the foreign Empress. Minseok swallowed, a lump forming in his throat. He hoped he would represent Lu Han well.

☀ ☀

 

 “You are putting it on too thick,” Lu Han said, hovering a few feet away from where Sehun was lining Minseok’s eyes with kohl.

“Would you like to do it then?” Sehun asked, shooting Lu Han an annoyed look.

“No!” Minseok blurted out. “Sehun, please continue. Lu Han, shut up.”

The prince stammered out a protest, which fell on deaf ears. The late morning and early afternoon had been a constant bickering between Lu Han and Sehun, from the moment Minseok changed into his formal robes.

He felt out of place in the deep scarlet color robes, unsure of himself as he showed Sehun and Lu Han. Lu Han had fallen silent at his appearance, stammering out words of appreciation after Minseok frowned at his initial reaction. Sehun had started teasing Lu Han from that moment on and it had only increased as Minseok let the servant start his makeup.

“I like these new developments,” Sehun said quietly, only loud enough for Minseok to hear.

Minseok bit back a smile. “He needs to be put in his place now and then,” he whispered.

Sehun’s laughter echoed through the room, his hand jerking slightly.

“Look what you did!” Lu Han pointed at the black smudge that ran under Minseok’s left eye.

“I’m fixing it.” Sehun rolled his eyes, earning a smirk from Minseok.

He looked past the servant, to where Lu Han was narrowing his eyes at his best friend and his husband. Minseok smiled sweetly and shrugged, finding the entire situation infinitely amusing.

☀ ☀

 

The concubines assembled in the early afternoon, standing by precedence at the widest pathway in the harem complex. They lined up, a flurry of indigo, dark green, and blue silk. Minseok’s self-consciousness grew when he realized he was the only one dressed in a deep scarlet. Jewels sparkled from their hair, the necklaces that hung from their necks, and the rings that had been slipped onto their fingers with the utmost care hours before. The scent of rosewater, of incense and heavy perfume lingered in the air.

Minseok was the last to stand in the procession, indicating his rank as the newest concubine to join the harem. It didn’t matter that his husband was the eldest brother, second only in age to the Emperor. What mattered was how he had come to this place, last among the heavily made-up men and women who were waiting to attend the formal affair.

He clasped his hands in front of him, kept his back stick straight. He concentrated on keeping his expression controlled, afraid that the moment the Valide Empress appeared he would show his fear, his dislike of the woman. He tried to ignore the ring slipped on his left ring finger, the stone hiding a dose of sedative. He tried to soothe his nerves, to hope that nothing would happen that would require the rings use.

They were all silent, waiting in the hot sun for their walk to the formal reception hall to begin. The tiles gleamed along the pathway, eunuchs with their blasters tucked into holsters at their belts lined the route, as equally quiet and blank-faced.

Minseok hoped he wasn’t sweating too much in the sun, that he wouldn’t arrive a mess, his bangs plastered to his forehead, his makeup running down his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, tried to calm himself. It was at that moment the Valide Empress and her procession arrived. Minseok couldn’t see the entire retinue but he knew that the Empress traveled with a large group. The Emperor’s personal harem, the concubines Minseok had never met before, would walk behind the Empress.

Kyungsoo had mentioned a few of them before but never said much. They were as far removed from their life as the Empress (albeit far less frightening). The place they lived in the harem was not a place Minseok would ever travel. This would be one of the few times he would ever see the men and women who served the Emperor personally.

The procession began to move forward, Minseok making sure he fell into step and kept up. He kept his eyes trained on the person in front of him, fixating on the jeweled hairpiece that Sooyoung wore in her hair. They walked down the long road of the harem, past the colorfully painted doors that led to innumerable courtyards and sprawling complexes belonging to the princes. They neared the large gates that shut off the road from another part of the palace, a place that the concubines were never allowed to enter normally.

The heavy gates were hoisted up by a group of eunuchs, the gates creaking and clanking as they slid up the white stone wall that surrounded the harem complex. Dust was kicked up by the movement of the gate, a cloud drifting back towards Minseok. He knew by now to hold his breath, to close his eyes when the cloud drifted his way.

Slowly they paraded through the opened gate, to a place that made Minseok’s eyes go wide. Large tents surrounded a clearing, the sand, and dust covered by ornate carpets of gold and indigo. The tents were green and red, a scarlet interior revealed by the edges being pulled back at the opening of each structure. A wall of fountains snaked along to the east, the sound of water mingling with the songs of the musicians who were seated on a low stage directly opposite. Richly dressed men and women played a variety of instruments, lutes, a heavy drum, a fiddle. The music was soft but rhythmic. Near the musician's stage a group of men and women, adorned in golden chains and jeweled hats, danced seductively to the music. The scent of roasted meat mingled with an overpowering floral smell.

It was sensory overload. Minseok wished he could stop and admire every square inch of the terrace, every bold color of the carpeting, every note that the drifted from the stage. He almost lost himself in the place, realizing quickly that Sooyoung was now two steps ahead. He hurried to catch up, hoping no one had noticed how he lingered.

They filed into the largest of the tents, an oblong wooden table stretching along the width. Eunuchs adjusted the tent opening, revealing the interior. Minseok marveled at the inner pattern of the tent, what he had thought was a solid scarlet color upon first sight was an intricate weaving of gold, scarlet, and deep forest green, a tightly woven pattern that was more aesthetically pleasing the longer he looked at it.

They sat in order, Minseok at the far reaches, relegated to the least prominent position due to his late entry into the harem. He was happy to be as far away from the important guest, the emperor, and the empress as possible. Hopefully, if he made a small misstep no one of import would notice.

The table was set with gilded dishes. A month ago, Minseok would have been at a loss for what half of them were for. Now he knew that the small bowl filled with water was to clean his fingers, and the spread of plates each had their own purpose, used for a specific course of the meal. The utensils he had memorized too, Lu Han’s voice replaying in his mind, pointing out what each fork was used for.

Minseok waited to sit, only making a move after Sooyoung had sunk into the plush cushioned chair. He sat, mouth set in a straight line. He couldn’t betray a hint of emotion; Lu Han had warned him. Not here, not in front of so many important people.

☀ ☀

 

When the music stopped, Minseok knew the Emperor’s arrival was imminent. Lu Han had explained the minutest details of what to expect, and Minseok was eternally grateful for the preparation. He knew that once the music stopped, once the servants dressed in their embroidered robes entered the clearing it would not be long before Lu Han’s eldest brother arrived.

Minseok had to admit he was as curious as he was afraid. He wondered how much the emperor resembled Lu Han, what similarities they would share. He imagined someone like Lu Han but far less...haunting in his gaze, missing the sadness from a lifetime of isolation. From the stories, he had been told he imagined a man who was cruel, selfish, his negative traits on full display.

The concubines stood slowly, waiting. Minseok watched the open gate, holding his breath when a tall figure appeared at the entrance. He glimpsed him for only a moment before he bowed his head, paying deference to the man who ruled his adopted home planet.

The glimpse he got of the emperor made his brow furrow, gave him pause. There was something oddly familiar about the tall man who appeared at the gates. The way he was standing, the briefest look at his features...it reminded Minseok of someone.

He tried not to dwell on it. Instead, he focused on following the routine he had been taught. Sitting after Sooyoung did. Smiling at the introduction of their esteemed guest. Eating his food slowly and carefully, not overeating but not under eating. Further down the table, he heard some of the higher-ranking concubines chatting, which was their right given their tenure in the harem. Further yet he was sure the Emperor and his personal harem, alongside the Valide Empress, were deep in conversation. His in-ear translator hummed words here and there, bits and pieces that were picked up, nothing that he could really make out.

Next, to him Sooyoung remained silent, Minseok wondered if she was fighting the same case of nerves. Kyungsoo had explained she was late to the palace, as was Jisoo who sat to her left. Neither of them had the right to indulge in light-hearted banter, or to do anything other than smile when it was appropriate or to share blank expressions when there was no need to feign happiness.

After the meal was served, an hour-long affair, the clearing was filled with a troupe of dancers. The musicians struck up a rhythmic song, drums pounding as the dancers moved their hips to the music. Their faces were heavily coated in makeup, hair curled into ringlets that fell down their backs, swaying with their dance. There were both men and women, an androgynous feel about the way they were outfitted and the way they moved their hips in tandem.

Minseok watched with interest, admiring the swirling fabric of their long jackets as they moved to the music, the grace in which they skirted around each other, never missing a step. The golden chains that hung around their waists jingled with their movements, a melodious accompaniment to the banging of the drums and the plucking of the lute. 

The suns began to set as the dancers continued their routine. Hanging oil lanterns were set out by servants moving as unobtrusively as possible as to not disturb the show. Soon the clearing was alive with the flickering flames playing along the bronze lanterns, the strains of music drifting off to the night sky, the dancers gracefully moving over the intricately patterned carpets, circling around each other.

Minseok thought there was something magical about the event. He suddenly wished Lu Han could see it, could be seated next to him, watching the dancers move under the moonlight. A pang of longing set in, a feeling he wasn’t sure he wanted to entertain.

The dancers finished their routine, bowing and stepping away from the clearing. Minseok felt his anxiety build. He knew that the end of the dancing would signify the time when the concubines would be expected to return to the harem. Before they left they would pay deference to the guest and their emperor, bowing and leaving by order of precedence. He would be last, which meant he would have to not only calmly bow to the emperor, but do so in a very timely manner so he could follow the others back to the harem.

His heart was pounding as the concubines began to filter past him, their motions carefully controlled as they approached the Emperor. Minseok sucked in a breath and waited, following behind Sooyoung as she took small steps around the table. Minseok clasped his hands together and kept his eyes trained on the ground, walking behind Sooyoung, not daring to look up until he saw her mustard-colored robes sway out of his line of sight.

Minseok looked towards the impressively carved chair that sat in the center of the table, the piece of furniture dwarfing the tall man who sat upon it. Minseok stifled a gasp when he got his first good look at the Emperor. He immediately looked away, confused, afraid.

Sooyoung’s robes, a blur of yellow, moved past him and he knew he had to step forward. He kept his head down, bowing as he was taught.

“Prince Lu Han greets you humbly, Your Imperial Majesty.” Minseok lifted his head, making eye contact with the man he had known as Kris, the servant who had fumbled his way around the harem. Next to him sat a woman with deep green skin, her eyes shining silver. She wore a tight outfit of gold, her hair hanging down to the floor. The Empress of Osiris.

Yifan, the Emperor, stared back at Minseok, his lips upturned in a smile. “It is good to finally meet you,” he said, his voice confirming that Kris and Yifan were one and the same.

Minseok looked up, not sure what to say. He tensed, shocked at the realization.

“You are very pretty. A human, no?” the woman next to Yifan asked.

“Yes, I am a human, your majesty,” Minseok said. He could feel the sweat drip down his back, his anxiety kicking in full force.

“He is new to the palace,” Yifan murmured. “A favorite, as he should be. It is a delight to finally see him at such a formal gathering.”

Silence. A few beats of silence and then Minseok retreated. He swallowed and bowed his head. He took a few steps back, turning he rushed towards the retreating parade of concubines, his heart thudding so hard he thought it would beat out of his chest.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok had never been so happy to see Lu Han’s residence before. He breathed a sigh of relief as he approached the doors, the eunuchs throwing them open without a word. He rushed inside, surprised to see the prince waiting for him in the front room.

“How did it go?” Lu Han approached him, reached out and put his hands on Minseok’s shoulders.

“Good, I think,” Minseok answered, fighting back the confusion of the Emperor’s identity.

Lu Han’s lips morphed into a smile, his cheeks puffing out as he pulled Minseok into a hug. “I was thinking about you.”

Minseok relaxed into the prince, his arms going around Lu Han’s waist. Lu Han smelled like soap, like the incense he burned in the domed room they spent most of their time in. He smelled... _like home_.

Minseok inhaled the scent, his hands gripping Lu Han’s robe. There was so much comfort, so much safety in the hug. Their first hug.

Lu Han moved away, stepping back, clearing his throat. Minseok could almost swear he was blushing. “Good job,” he muttered.

Minseok felt the warmth rise in his cheeks, the heat creep up his neck. He ran his hand through his hair, messing up the carefully styled locks that Sehun had spent an hour on. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Do you want to...?” Lu Han trailed off, gesturing towards the back room, towards the staircase.

Minseok nodded. He could almost swear that Lu Han was blushing as he turned away, starting the trek upstairs. He couldn’t be certain, the lighting was low, the oil lanterns flickering against the painted tile. It could all be wishful thinking, he could be projecting his own embarrassment, his own hidden hopes.

When they arrived on the top floor Minseok found that Lu Han had laid out his usual clothing on a pile of cushions, a basin of water sitting next to the garments.

“You should wash away the makeup before you sleep,” Lu Han explained, wandering towards the window, turning his back to Minseok.

Minseok’s heart swelled at the caring gesture, at the knowledge that Lu Han had thought about the little details. “Thank you,” he replied, walking to the basin.

After scrubbing away the kohl and the face powder he changed into his soft robes, feeling a thousand times better.

“I should tell you about the time I had to go to a formal company dinner, at my job.” Minseok began, making it lighthearted.

“Can I turn around?” Lu Han asked.

“Yeah.” Minseok took a seat on Lu Han’s side of the table. Lu Han plodded towards him, a fond look in his eyes.

“It was awful. I had to wear a tuxedo. You probably don’t know what that is. Well…” Minseok debated telling Lu Han about the Emperor, it was in the back of his mind as he recounted his story. He thought about it but ultimately decided against it. Lu Han held fond memories of his brothers, hadn’t seen him in years. It would probably be for the worse if he recounted how he met the Emperor around the harem, how he knew him by another name. It still puzzled him.

He tossed and turned that night, trying his best not to wake Lu Han but failing. He had a lot on his mind.

“Are you well, Gözde?’ Lu Han murmured after an hour of Minseok’s restlessness.

At the term of endearment, Minseok smiled. “Yes,” he lied, closing his eyes and willing his body to relax.

He didn't jump or pull away when Lu Han draped his arm over his middle, pulling him close. He didn’t protest when he ended up with his back pressed against Lu Han’s chest. He didn’t argue because something about it put his mind at ease, made him feel peaceful. It just seemed _right_.

As he relaxed into Lu Han’s arms he realized that _this_ , whatever _this_ was, it was different but nice. It wasn’t what he was used to from his brief relationship on earth. It was antiquated, perhaps overly simplistic when it came down to the base attraction, but it was…good. Nice. He liked the feeling of Lu Han holding him close, of knowing the prince was waiting for him at home. The feeling he had a home….

☀ ☀

 

Minseok awoke to the heat of the suns, the light streaming through the latticed windows, a pattern cast over himself and Lu Han. He blinked wearily, relaxing into…. into….

Lu Han’s arms held him tight. He must have rolled over at some point in the night, they were now facing each other. Lu Han’s long hair brushed against his cheek, his arms were wrapped about Minseok, one leg splayed over Minseok's own.

Minseok smiled, savoring the feeling of physical proximity.

A minute later Lu Han stirred, his eyes blinking open. He smiled when he looked at Minseok, and it had a devastating effect on the concubine. Lu Han, his hair a mess from sleep, eyes slightly puffy. He was warm, his limbs intertwined with Minseok’s own.

“Good morning,” he murmured, not releasing his hold on his husband.

Minseok’s words stuck in his throat, his mind going blank. There was a beauty to the man before him, a beauty hidden by dark circles and pale skin. Dare he think that haunting look had left him, even for a minute?

“Good morning,” Minseok answered, his voice husky with sleep. His eyes scanned Lu Han’s face. His deep brown eyes, his nose, landing on his mouth, the tiny scar that lined his lower lip. He had the sudden desire to run his finger against the scar, to feel Lu Han’s skin for the first time, to press his finger to those lips, to kiss them.

There was so much about it that was wrong, but so much that seemed right. An affection had sprung up in him, one that he hadn’t expected. One that he hadn’t asked for. Wasn’t his goal to survive? To make do, to live together. Not to want to kiss the man before him, to know what it felt like for their lips to press together under the light of the twin suns?

And then it was all ripped apart, the moment shattered.

Someone yelled from the first floor, a voice that Minseok didn’t recognize. His in-ear buzzed, translating the words.

“Concubine, you have a visitor.”

It made little sense, but it was enough for Minseok to pull away, for both men to sit up and glance at the staircase in confusion.

“Who?” Minseok said to Lu Han.

“I don’t know, but you best go.” He urged Minseok forward, his hand smoothing down Minseok’s messy hair.

Minseok scurried to the staircase, towards the front room, afraid.

It was a eunuch that waited for him, who wore the usual stoic expression. He gestured for Minseok to follow and with each step forward the concubine felt a sinking feeling settled in his gut. He stepped into the harsh morning sunlight, afraid of what was waiting for him.

The eunuch led him out of the courtyard, to the passage outside of Lu Han’s residence. He led him further, down to a side passage, to a shade-filled smaller courtyard Minseok couldn't remember ever visiting.

He halted at the entrance to the courtyard, terrified.

Yifan sat under a shade tree. He stood when he noticed Minseok, a smile on his face.

Something felt wrong about this, about seeing the Emperor again, about seeing him alone. Minseok bowed this time, unlike when he had met Kris the servant. This time he knew who he was meeting.

The eunuch retreated, leaving the two men alone. Part of Minseok wanted to grasp the man’s arm and tell him to stay, not wanting to be alone with the emperor.

“I am sorry I lied to you,” were the first words out of Yifan’s mouth.

Minseok looked away, not wanting to face the potential mess. “It is fine.”

“No, it isn’t. I mean, how confusing it must have been for you,” Yifan continued. He was all smiles, something akin to hope shone in his eyes. “I was so happy to see you at the reception, I wish we could have spoken more.”

There was a fine line that Minseok was perched upon. Of decorum. Of survival. He needed to be smart about his response. He couldn’t understand why the emperor would have lied to him, what he had to gain.

“I am sorry if I was so casual meeting you before, your Imperial Majesty,” Minseok said, bowing his head once again.

“Please, I like that we met as equals. As friends. It is so rare for me to find that here,” Yifan answered.

Minseok stared at the paving stones, not answering. Not knowing what to do.

“I understand it is awkward for you. Ah, I am the one to make it like this. Minseok, can you just pretend that I am a servant, like before?” Yifan asked.

Minseok didn’t raise his eyes. “I fail to see how that is possible, your Imperial Majesty.”

“Please. I have so few people who treat me as…a person.”

Minseok dared to look the Emperor in the eyes. He saw a little of Lu Han there, a lingering sadness, but he wouldn’t be swayed. He didn’t trust this world, this new life he led, enough to agree to something that seemed so potentially dangerous. “I am sorry, your Imperial Majesty, but I don’t think this will work.”

There was a sad sigh from the Emperor.  “I suppose I deserve this.”

Minseok remained silent.

“Can you at least tell me how my brother is? Is he well?”

“He is well,” he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. “He misses his freedom.” It was out of turn, probably akin to treason, but it needed to be said.

It was Yifan’s turn to look away. “I am glad he is well.”

They stood, neither man speaking, for nearly a minute. Finally, the emperor bade him farewell. “You may return to Lu Han, Minseok.”

Minseok bowed, taking his leave with a thundering heart. He retreated to the open doorway of the courtyard, stepping into the passageway. The eunuch had waited for him, led him back to Lu Han’s prison without a word. Minseok walked through the door to his home feeling a mix of emotions, most of them negative.

☀ ☀

 

 “I hated that cat. I mean, I don’t hate cats, but _that c_ at was evil.” Minseok took a sip from his wine glass, setting it down on the table.  He had done his best to ignore the earlier meeting with the Emperor, telling Lu Han it was Kyungsoo that had asked to see him (thankfully Lu Han hadn’t questioned it). He was afraid to admit it. Telling Lu Han of the meeting would drudge up the depression, the longing to see his brother, a reminder that he was not free.

“We don’t have cats here. Or I don’t think so,” Lu Han said, mimicking Minseok’s actions and taking a sip of his sweet wine.

“You are missing out. They are delightfully lazy creatures. Would probably love napping in all of the sun you get,” Minseok said.

Lu Han’s face was flush from the wine, a pretty red color spreading out on his cheeks, evident against his pale skin. He laughed, shaking his head. “So, I could be a cat, pretty much.”

“Hmm. Except you don’t have claws,” Minseok remarked. “And cats don’t stand in front of windows, they sleep in front of them.”

“Do you know why I like to look out the window?” Lu Han suddenly asked.

Minseok shook his head.

“Go, look,” Lu Han pointed towards the window he was so fond of.

Minseok stood, curious. He walked towards the window, glancing back at Lu Han a few times with a questioning look.

When he reached the window, he stared out. There was the courtyard, the same dusty place he traveled across several times a day. To the kitchens, the tailors now and then. To take walks with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun (when he tagged along). Nothing stood out. He stared further, to the white stone rooftops, to the small glimpses of the winding pathways that were visible.

“I don’t underst–” Minseok stopped speaking the moment he spotted it. It was far away, a corner of the harem complex. It was visible, however, because it sat on a rooftop. Large stone baths, tents that barely covered the area. Servants fawning over...naked people, relaxing in the baths, heads tilted back as they enjoyed the harsh sunlight like only a local could. He thought he recognized at least one of the concubines...Onew, was it?

Minseok whirled around, scandalized. “You, You––”

Lu Han laughed, throwing his head back.

Minseok glanced once more out the window, then back to Lu Han. “You’re a pervert!”

Lu Han chuckled. “It isn’t my fault they put the imperial harem baths right where I can see them.”

Minseok balked, glad he had always washed in the tiny room downstairs, never bearing himself to the harem baths that Kyungsoo always raved about.

He wrenched his attention from the window and stalked back towards the prince. With a huff he sat down, shaking his head.

“What?”

Minseok had a thousand things on the tip of his tongue. How watching people bathe was not polite, how perverted it may be to stand and stare at his brother’s lovers from afar. “You shouldn’t watch people without their permission,” he blurted out, giving Lu Han a reprimanding look.

Lu Han nodded, smile still on his face. “It isn’t the entire reason I look out that window.” He looked far too amused. “But I do have the concubine’s bathing schedule memorized.”

Minseok sighed. “You are disgusting.”

“Am I?” Lu Han asked playfully.

“Yes. Do you know how wrong it is to watch that?” He gestured behind himself, towards the window. “What if they knew you were watching them? How would you feel if someone watched you bathe?”

“Depends on the person,” Lu Han answered without missing a beat. He sipped his wine, a flirtatious look on his face.

Minseok stammered a nonsensical response before standing. “I am going downstairs.”

He stood to leave, stalking towards the stairs.

“I was joking,” Lu Han called after him, his tone apologetic. “Minseok, please, don’t go.” HIs voice sounded...different. There was a desperation there.

Minseok turned to look at his husband, narrowing his eyes at the prince.

The amused expression on Lu Han’s face was gone, it had been replaced with the haunting, sad look that clung to the man. “I was joking,” he said quietly, his vulnerability on full display. “I don’t really watch them, I was just teasing you. I knew the schedule and…”

Minseok felt the proverbial lump form in his throat. There was a tug in his chest, a need to discard his annoyance.

Lu Han looked so sincere, so sad, so alone.

Minseok trudged back towards the table, taking a seat. He grabbed a cushion and hugged it to him.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I got into kite flying? It is a lame hobby, doesn’t even make that much sense but I was obsessed with it. When I was….”

☀ ☀

 

The twin suns set over Evren, the dying sunlight filtering in through the latticed windows. Minseok relaxed on the pile of cushions he had assembled, his body feeling warm from the wine they had been drinking all afternoon. He had pushed his meeting with the emperor from his mind, instead indulging in the afternoon with Lu Han. The prince had cast away his sadness after Minseok launched into a bout of storytelling. They were back to laughing, joking, enjoying each other’s company.

“I wish you had come here sooner, Gözde,” Lu Han mused.

Minseok beamed, his cheeks hurting from how much he had been smiling. The feelings that had been stirring in him, the push and pull that he had been fighting against, didn’t seem like anything he should fight against, not when Lu Han seemed to return them in some form.

“Me too,” Minseok admitted. If he could have traded his last years on earth for this life, he would. Something about it was blasphemous, he knew that, but he also knew he would do it if he could. It was growing, these feelings, not over one day or two, but over several. Lu Han helping him, pulling him into a hug after the event. His careful words, his trust. It had taken hold in Minseok’s heart slowly but he was no longer willing to ignore it.

“Come here,” Lu Han ordered, patting the cushion next to him.

Minseok obliged, crawling to his side of the table. His limbs felt heavy, warm from all the wine he had drank. His movements were clumsy, his foot hitting the side of the table. Lu Han laughed at how uncoordinated he was.

Minseok finally made it to the other side, teetering as he pulled his legs up to sit.

Lu Han reached out, his arm going around Minseok’s shoulders, pulling him to his side. “You are clumsy, Gözde,” he sighed.

Minseok narrowed his eyes at his husband. “You try crawling around the table after drinking all afternoon.”

“No,” Lu Han answered, his arm pulling Minseok in. “There is no way I am leaving this spot now that you are here.”

Minseok swallowed, eyes meeting Lu Han’s. His mind might be hazy from drinking, but he was very aware of how close they were. That Lu Han’s lips were only inches away, that he was pressed to Lu Han’s side. Minseok unconsciously licked his lips, fascinated that the prince’s eyes fixated on that exact spot.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Minseok blurted out, not waiting for an answer before pressing his lips to Lu Han’s. It was bold, but he didn't really care, not when Lu Han’s tongue licked along the seam of his closed lips, asking for more.

Minseok was happy to oblige, parting his lips, letting Lu Han lick into his mouth. A fire settled in his gut, his hands grasping at Lu Han’s robes and bunching the fabric as he deepened the kiss. Lu Han’s mouth was soft against his own, gentle as his tongue slid along Minseok’s.

It was heated in the subtlest of ways, unfailingly gentle but full of promise, of passion. Minseok moved away first, amazed at what they had just done. They locked eyes, spending a moment just looking, digesting the change that had overtaken them.

Lu Han angled his body, moved his hand, smoothing his thumb over Minseok's bottom lip as he cupped his chin. “Gözde…” he said quietly, reverently.

Minseok waited, hoping. Accepting what he wanted to occur.

When Lu Han captured Minseok's lips in another kiss, the concubine relaxed backwards, into the pile of cushions, urging Lu Han to do the same. His hands went to Lu Han’s waist, smoothing along the fabric, relishing in the feel.

The weight of another body on top of his own fueled the heated sensation in Minseok’s stomach, his muscles contracting.

Lu Han’s mouth moved sloppily from his lips to his cheek, then his chin. Nibbling lower he sucked along Minseok’s neck, his arms propping his upper body up enough so he could angle himself just right.

Minseok splayed his hand on Lu Han’s lower back, relaxing his hold on the fabric of the prince’s robes. He urged him on, tilting his head back to expose more skin. Everything felt so deliciously new, confirmation of what Minseok had hoped could occur between them.

He surprised himself when a soft whimper escaped his lips.

“Gözde… Gözde…” Lu Han whispered along his skin, dragging his tongue lower, to the place where Minseok’s neck met his collarbone.

When Lu Han nipped at his collarbone Minseok keened. The pressure built his dick hardening with every flick of Lu Han’s tongue, every drag of his teeth against Minseok’s skin.

The loose robes that clung to him suddenly felt like an obtrusive barrier that he couldn’t wait to discard. He whined, his hand going to Lu Han’s shoulder and gently pushing him back.

Lu Han Immediately retreated, his eyes widening with fear. “Was it—“

Minseok chuckled as he pushed his robes over his shoulders, baring his skin while shimmying the garment down.

Lu Han’s fear morphed to barely disguised lust. He licked his lips, his eyes raking down Minseok’s body.

In the back of his mind Minseok thought he should feel shy, but he didn’t. He wanted Lu Han to look at him like he wanted to devour, like he wanted to ruin him. He sat up on his knees once his robes reached his waist. Slowly he dragged the garment over his hips, the silk brushing his erection before shimmying down his thighs.

He heard Lu Han’s breath hitch, which gave him more confidence. He sat back and kicked his robes off of his legs, lying back onto the pile of cushions completely nude.

The prince wasted little time tearing his own robes away, lust quickening his actions. Minseok bit his bottom lip and watched as Lu Han’s torso came into view, his cock springing free from the garment’s restraints, pre-cum glistening at the head. Lu Han was as hard as he was, his dick purpling at the head.

He admired Lu Han’s body, his lean muscle. He wasn’t insanely toned, nor was he some bronzed god. He was pale and lean, but Minseok could find no fault in him. His skin looked smooth in the flickering oil lanterns.

“Gözde,” Lu Han whispered. He didn’t make a move to come closer. Minseok sensed a sudden vulnerability in him.

“Come here,” Minseok murmured, reaching for his husband.

 _Husband_. They were married. This would be the consummation of their marriage, carried out long after the deal was struck.

Lu Han hesitated and in that moment Minseok realized what was going on.

The prince was a virgin. He had never been with someone before, locked away since the time he went through puberty. Minseok felt terrible for having only realized it then, for being less careful, less considerate with his actions.

It wasn’t that Minseok had a lot of practice but he had partners in the past. His first in high school, another couple in college. None that were anything to write home about, but they had sex.

He debated saying it out loud, pointing out the obvious, in case it may potentially embarrass Lu Han. He didn’t want to ruin their first time together, so instead he gestured for Lu Han again, hoping this time the prince would comply.

Lu Han visibly swallowed before he crawled to Minseok.

Minseok parted his legs, silently welcoming Lu Han closer. The prince moved between them slowly. In the low lighting Minseok could see sweat forming on his brow, his cheeks flushed.

“Kiss me,” Minseok murmured, hands finding Lu Han’s forearms and pulling him closer.

Lu Han listened, returning his lips to Minseok’s. When he leaned forward their cocks met, Lu Han moaning into the kiss at the sudden friction.

It was Minseok who experimentally rocked upward, his hips moving slightly off the floor while he pressed his hard cock against Lu Han’s erection. He moved his hand to slide against the back of Lu Han’s neck, holding him in the kiss while he thrust up once more.

Lu Han responded by grinding down, their cocks sliding together in a movement that had both of them whimpering.

It was a slow, methodical motion as their tongues rolled against each other, their lower halves meeting as they rutted together. A throaty moan broke finally their kiss. Lu Han pressed his forehead to Minseok’s, their warm breaths mingling while they continued to meet in shallow thrusts.

Minseok could feel the muscles in his stomach tighten, the threat of a premature release hitting him full force. He wanted this to last, he wanted to make Lu Han’s first time memorable. _Their_ first time memorable.

But it couldn’t be stopped. Not when each press of his hips upwards felt so good. Minseok lost himself to the motion, to the slide of his cock against Lu Han’s hard length. He gasped, giving in, awed when Lu Han cried out, forehead wrinkling.

The prince’s release, a hot spurt, gushed onto Minseok’s dick and stomach, pressing between their bodies. Minseok choked back a loud moan as the coil in him released, his head going back while he came.

His breathing was shaky, hand sliding down Lu Han’s back. He planted a gentle kiss on the corner of the Prince’s mouth, then another.

“Gözde, I–“

“Shhh,” Minseok whispered, his body still quivering. His gentle kisses became more heated, he sucked Lu Han’s bottom lip into his mouth, wanting more. He could feel Lu Han’s body begin to relax on top of him, the prince’s muscles ceasing to randomly tense.

They kissed languidly, both catching their breaths, both settling into a slow and torturous round of their tongues sliding together. It was Minseok’s turn to nibble and suck, leaving red marks on Lu Han’s long neck as he scraped his teeth and pressed his mouth into Lu Han’s heated skin.

He could feel himself growing hard again, a few minutes of gentle kisses igniting his arousal. This time he wanted more, he wanted it to last, he wanted to feel Lu Han inside of him. He caressed Lu Han’s back, his arms, his shoulders.

When Lu Han rutted against him he felt the prince’s hardening cock and knew that it was time.

“Lu Han,” he whispered, words ghosting against Lu Han’s collarbone.

“Hmm.”

It was the first time he felt embarrassed during the entire interaction, asking quietly for lubricant. Lu Han stiffened, sat back on his knees.

A few more choice words and Lu Han’s eyes lit up with realization. “There is an oil, that um, Sehun gave me.”

Minseok should have known. Lu Han slid open one of the drawers of the low table, pulling out a small jar. Of course, Minseok thought, they had been eating dinner with lube a few inches below this entire time.

Lu Han held the jar in his palm, awkwardly thrusting it towards Minseok. His cheeks were red, a different shade than the time they were thrusting together, chasing their mutual release.

“I’ll teach you,” Minseok husked, taking the offered jar. He twisted open the lid, staring down at the oil-like substance. “Give me your hand.”

Lu Han held his hand out, brows furrowing in concentration. It was cute and almost made Minseok want to laugh, but he didn’t dare embarrass him like that. He moved Lu Han’s fingers until there were two extended, dipping them into the oil and coating them.

“I am going to lay back,” he explained, setting the jar on the table. “You need to prepare me.”

“P-prepare you.” Lu Han looked at his glistening fingers.

Minseok smiled and leaned back. He gripped his thighs, moving them further apart to reveal his hole. He involuntarily clenched, wanting to be filled.

“You won’t hurt me, I promise,” Minseok reassured him.

Lu Han’s movements were slow, like he wasn’t entirely convinced. When he pressed the tips of his fingers on Minseok’s rim, he immediately recoiled and looked at the concubine in fear.

“Go on,” Minseok urged.

Lu Han swallowed, adams apple bobbing. He tested again, rubbing the lubricant around Minseok’s pink puckered flesh. It was inadvertently teasing, a low whimper escaping Minseok’s lips.

“Press them in,” Minseok husked. Warmth spread from his gut to his legs in expectation of what was about to happen.

Lu Han pressed the tip of one finger passed Minseok’s rim, his digit sliding in easily. He was staring at his hand, deep in concentration.

“Deeper,” Minseok instructed.

Lu Han obliged, sliding his finger inside of his husband. Minseok clenched around it, sucking it in. Lu Han gasped in surprise.

“T-thrust it in and out,” Minseok said shakily, his excitement growing.

Lu Han tested it out, thrusting in once then twice. When he realized Minseok wasn’t going to break he picked up the pace, moving his finger in deep thrusts.

“You feel so good inside,” he whispered.

“Add another.” Minseok tried to relax, to calm himself and not tense up. He sucked in another finger and a short time later another.

He was a moaning, whimpering mess after several thrusts, Lu Han hooking his fingers as he slid out, marveling at the way he could make Minseok fall apart with his hand.

“S-stop,” Minseok moaned.

Lu Han slid his fingers out at once, Minseok clenching at air.

“I want you in me,” he breathed. Minseok reached for the jar. Sitting up he pressed a few haphazard kisses onto Lu Han’s chest while coating his hand in lubricant. He shakily reached for Lu Han’s cock, coating it in the oily substance. Lu Han keened at the contact and Minseok felt a swell of pride that the prince was still hard even though he wasn’t the one being touched. He palmed at the head of Lu Han’s cock, lube mixing with pre-cum, before pulling away.

He was quick to lie down, to part his legs, to show his husband his pink, twitching hole. Lu Han swiped his tongue over his bottom lip before moving closer, grabbing Minseok’s thighs and parting them wide, his fingers pressing hard into Minseok’s skin.  He looked down as he lined himself up, the head of his cock teasing the puckered flesh.

When Lu Han pressed in Minseok gasped. It didn’t hurt, he had been properly prepared. No, it was the sensation of the prince’s cock sliding against his walls, pressing further inside of him that had Minseok choking back noises of pleasure.

“Are you o-okay?” Lu Han asked, voice cracking.

Minseok nodded his head. “You just feel so good.”

“You too,” Lu Han husked.

Lu Han’s dick wasn’t huge, but it was the right length to press deep in Minseok’s hole when the prince was fully seated. It was a heady sensation, Minseok’s nerve endings firing at the feeling of being filled.

The prince slowly moved his hips, pulling out languidly before thrusting back in. He threw his head back, baring his neck, the skin marked up with red and purple spots from Minseok’s ministrations. He bucked forward, dick sliding deep inside the concubine.

Minseok moved his hips, meeting Lu Han’s thrust.

“F-fuck,” Lu Han stuttered, thrusting harder, Minseok meeting him again.

Minseok could feel Lu Han’s nails dig into his thighs, but the pain was welcomed. The sensation of being held open, fucked into, filled, was everything he could have wanted. When Lu Han began thrusting harder Minseok urged him on until they were fucking at a fast pace.

When Lu Han pressed Minseok’s legs higher the angle exposed his bundle of nerves to Lu Han’s thrusts. “There. Fuck, there,” he cried out, clenching around Lu Han.

The sound of skin slapping against skin, the burn of Lu Han’s nails digging into his thighs. His prostate being hit again and again, his vision beginning to blur. “Gonna–“

Minseok clawed at the pillows under him, arching his back as Lu Han began fucking into him at a brutal rate.

He knew he was crying out, that his body was acting of its own accord. The heat in his stomach, the feeling of his legs rubbing against Lu Han’s hips, the knowledge the prince was inside of him, fucking him open was too much. He clenched down, cum spurting onto his stomach as he found his release.

Lu Han moaned, driving in again and again. Minseok was overstimulated, quivering and clenching, his body fucked out. He squeezed tears when Lu Han went balls deep, rutting a few times before he cried out, his release pumping into Minseok.

The prince relaxed his hold on Minseok’s legs as he rode out his orgasm. Gasping for breath he leaned down, still inside of the concubine, and kissed his brow gently.

Minseok whined at the overstimulation, causing Lu Han to quickly pull out.

“Sorry,” he apologized.

“Don’t be sorry, please don’t be sorry,” Minseok shook his head. He reached for the prince, Lu Han only hesitating a second before he laid down next to Minseok.

Minseok wrapped his arms around Lu Han’s middle and laid his head on the prince’s heaving chest. “That was great. Better than great.”

“It was,” Lu Han admitted. Minseok could tell without looking at him that he was smiling.

Lu Han’s arm went around his husband, holding him tight. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” Minseok spoke the words against sweat-slicked skin, pressing his lips gently into Lu Han’s chest. It seemed sudden, to say such things, but he knew they were true. He was attracted to Lu Han, he was fond of him. He cared about him, missed him when he was away. He trusted him. _He loved him._

He had never felt this happy, he realized. He had never felt this good.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok’s happiness was palpable. Sehun noticed it the second he laid eyes on the concubine, Minseok wandering into the kitchens and nearly colliding with the servant.

“Why are you in such a good mood?” Sehun narrowed his eyes at the concubine.

“No reason,” Minseok sing-songed, body feeling unbearably light despite a small lingering pain in his backside. He felt happy and unburdened. They had eaten breakfast that morning between stolen kisses, gestures that seemed almost immature when Minseok really considered it. But he didn’t want to overthink it, not when he felt so damn good about everything.

“On second thought I don’t really want to know,” Sehun waved away the thought, grimacing as his imagination went wild.

Minseok smiled and laughed, practically skipping over to deposit the dishes on the counter. He brushed past Sehun on his way out, patting the taller servant on the shoulder as he passed.

The morning seemed especially pleasant even with the increasing heat. Even the horribly harsh sunlight couldn’t kill the happy feelings. Minseok walked leisurely back to Lu Han’s house, fighting against smiling like an idiot the entire way back.

He even smiled at the eunuch guards, both men breaking their usual stoic expression and raising an eyebrow at his antics. Minseok smirked, laughing to himself, as he crossed the threshold into Lu Han’s residence.

And then he stopped, the doors slamming and locking behind him.

Minseok scrambled to bow, panicking at the sight that greeted him.

 _Lu Han. The Valide Empress. Her retinue._ The entrance room was packed full, the empress on one side, Lu Han on the other. Minseok glanced at Lu Han, noticed the upset expression he wore. He immediately thought of what he could have done wrong to earn a visit from the Valide Empress. He hadn’t made a mistake at the party…

But he had met the Emperor. Surely, he couldn’t be punished for meeting the Emperor alone when the Emperor was the one who requested it?

“Prince Lu Han, second son of the late Emperor, brother of the great and immortal Emperor Yifan, by orders of the gods, the benevolence of Evren’s ruler, your marriage shall no longer exist in this realm or any other,” The Valide Empress announced, her voice monotone as she recited the decree.

Minseok stiffened, glanced at Lu Han. The prince didn’t return his gaze, kept his eyes glued to the Empress.

_Your marriage shall no longer exist in this realm or any other._

Minseok couldn't understand, didn't really want to understand the implications. He was desperate, his previous happiness shattered with a string of words spoken by the woman he feared the most in the palace. The worst feeling was the knowledge he couldn’t fight against it, against any of it.

In a blur his arms were grabbed by eunuchs, firm holds on him as they steered him towards the door. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, a thousand words on the tip of his tongue. He tried to see Lu Han, to look behind as he was being led out of the house. He needed to say goodbye, he needed to say something, to say anything to the prince.

But when he looked back, Lu Han was already gone.

☀ ☀

 

He had never stepped foot in the place he was taken, never had a chance to see what was beyond the gilded gate that separated this part of the harem from the portion he could roam. Minseok had never experienced the luxury of the Emperor’s inner sanctum until he was dragged into it, his heart broken, his eyes heavy with tears.

The eunuchs took him to this place, one on each side and several following behind and walking in front. It was futile to attempt to run, to fight. He was brought to the place Kyungsoo had told him “ _belonged to the Emperor’s favorites, to the Valide Empress, and the Emperor_ ”.  That knowledge made the situation that much worse, that much more frightening.

The inner palace was four stories, gilded with pristine white tiles reaching towards the large domed roof. Balconies lined the palace, offering shade and giving the residents a view of the courtyard, a place with numerous fountains and flowering trees. Even if it was only separated from the rest of the harem by stone walls, it seemed a world away from the place Minseok had grown accustomed to.

And he wanted nothing to do with it. He couldn’t understand why he was here, why he had been separated from Lu Han so violently. Why after finally finding happiness he had been wrenched from it.

The eunuchs carried him inside the palace up a wide, ornate stone staircase to the second floor. They finally let go once they were in a small antechamber, a bedroom of sorts, with scattered cushions and a thick, silk-encased mattress. They left without saying a word, the sound of a lock turning signaling that he was locked inside this place for reasons unknown.

Minseok hugged his knees to his chest, allowed himself to cry, to get the frustration and fear out in the form of tears. He was afraid for himself, but he was even more afraid for Lu Han. The prince had learned to trust him, to talk to him, they loved each other...and now Lu Han was alone again. It was the worst kind of pain.

☀ ☀

 

Never, in a million years, did Minseok think that he would see the Valide Empress alone. She was always surrounded by her retinue, by the men and women who shared her icy cold expression and her apparent disdain for him.

She entered the locked room shortly after Minseok was deposited there. He scrambled to his feet, bowing and wiping at his tears simultaneously.

She looked him up and down, lip curling up into a sneer. “You are now married to the Great and Immortal Emperor,” she said slowly. He could tell how much the words displeased her. “And you shall fall under my direct supervision starting today. You shall not eat, shall not speak unless you have my permission.”

“What is going to happen to Lu Han?” Minseok blurted out.

The Valide Empress retaliated with a hard slap to his face, her long nails scratching along his cheek and leaving a mark.

Minseok cupped his cheek, wincing at the pain.

“I did not give you permission to speak, concubine,” she said firmly.

Minseok choked back a response. Married to the Emperor….no, _no._

“You shall spend your days under my direction, you shall only leave this room _if_ the Emperor asks for you. Your meals will be delivered on my whim.” She seemed to find amusement in her words, smiling as she finished speaking.

Minseok stilled himself, tried to look strong, more put together than he was.

“You seem to find this arrangement disagreeable,” the Empress mused. “Speak.”

“I-I don’t understand why I was brought here,” Minseok stuttered.

The Valide Empress held up her hand, signaling for Minseok to stop talking. “It was the alternative to dying for treason, concubine. Fraternizing with the Emperor is a treasonous offense, considering you did so while married to his brother and without the proper respect for his title or position. I would have had you die, but my son requested that you be given to him instead.”

“B-but I didn’t know who he was at first! And then he summoned me–”

Another hard slap to the face, this time the force was enough to snap Minseok’s head to the left, hard.

“It does not matter who summoned you or what you thought. What matters is you met the Great and Immortal Emperor alone and showed him little deference. You are a lowly concubine; this offense is worthy of death.”

She watched him for a moment. “A servant will bring you tea after I leave. It may be the most agreeable of all your options, to drink it.”

Minseok swallowed. He knew what she was inferring...poison.

“If you choose not to then you will live the rest of your life here, as Yifan’s concubine, under my lock and key. And I do intend to watch you waste away, I promise you that. A quick death, or a slow torturous one. Take your pick.”

She stalked to the door, her robes fluttering after her. She left without another word, leaving Minseok to stare at the door, numb.

He had to survive. Death couldn't be his only way out.

He wouldn’t let it be. He had lived through bombings, through the crumbling earth, the loss of his home planet. Through the unknown, being a refugee. Through coming to this place, to Lu Han. Days and nights of uncertainty and fear, of self-loathing at times, a resolve born from the worst feelings of loss and pain and the briefest glimpse of a future. 

If he died like this, locked away without an escape, everything he had done in his life would be for naught. If he survived…if he lived through this what waited for him?

Lu Han, a lifetime locked away. But he could deal with that. He wanted that if it meant they were together. Life on Evren wasn’t perfect but it was better than life on a planet that no longer existed. It was his home now and if his place in this world was locked in a gilded cage he could accept that. As long as he was with Lu Han, as long as he had the man he loved. What he couldn’t accept was giving up, dying without fighting.

He would survive, no matter what. He sat back, thinking. Belatedly realizing he was still wearing the ring, the one Kyungsoo had given him. A sedative…could it serve a purpose here? He had to think of everything, any resource, any way to escape.

He had to get out.

☀ ☀

 

The twin suns of Evren sunk below the horizon, leaving Minseok to sit in the small room, his only company a flickering oil lantern and a tray holding a small teapot and cup, taunting him.

He wouldn’t drink it, couldn’t drink it, no matter what he was threatened with. No matter what happened he had to get back to Lu Han somehow. He had to find a way….

He heard the lock turn in the door, but he didn’t scramble to stand this time. Let the Empress come in and see him seated, let her see that he had yet to drink the poison she had sent his way.

The door opened, but it wasn’t the Empress who stepped inside. It was the Emperor, Yifan cautiously stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

Minseok made no move to stand. He stared up at Yifan, not knowing what to say.

“You must hate me,” Yifan spoke slowly like he was carefully choosing each word.

Minseok was done with formalities, even if that was what reportedly got him into this mess, to begin with. He decided things couldn’t get worse, so he spoke freely and honestly. “You summoned _me_. Couldn’t you tell your mother that? How did she even know we met?” Minseok shook his head. “It makes no sense, why I should be brought here. What about Lu Han? What will you do to him?”

“Nothing!”  Yifan protested. He crouched down a few feet from Minseok, lowering himself to Minseok’s eye level. “Lu Han agreed to this.”

Minseok opened his mouth to say something then closed it, digesting what he was being told.

“He willingly divorced you, Minseok. I know you are not from this place, you aren’t used to our customs, but it was his idea to bring you here. It is in his right to send his concubines away and that is what he did. I willingly accepted you, so you wouldn’t be cast out of the palace.”

“No.” Minseok couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it. “Your mother said that you requested it, that I would be executed for treason if you hadn’t requested that I become your concubine.”

“It isn’t true,” Yifan responded. “Lu Han sent you away.”

Minseok didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want to believe it. The months he had spent building his relationship with Lu Han. The times he rambled on for hours, Lu Han listening, saying nothing. When Lu Han first asked him to stay, when they had their first conversation. The first night that they spent next to each other, Minseok nervous, afraid he would do something wrong. The night before, when they fell asleep, sated, whispering words of love.

No. Lu Han wouldn’t do that.

“I don’t believe you.” Lu Han’s words from weeks before, about being careful who he trusted, echoed in his mind. He didn’t trust Yifan, he didn’t trust the Valide Empress. The only person he could trust is Lu Han.

“It’s true.” Yifan sighed. He glanced over, spotting the tray of tea that the servant had delivered. The tray containing a poisoned cup, meant to end Minseok’s life.

“Why would he do it?” Minseok challenged.

Yifan shrugged. “It is possible to grow tired of someone…”

Minseok watched him, didn’t speak when Yifan reached for the cup. A thousand thoughts went through his head as he watched the Emperor grasp the small cup of poison, a thousand possibilities, and a thousand futures opening before him based on a few seconds, based on a small action or lack thereof.

“I am sorry, Minseok, but it is true.” Yifan gripped the cup, bringing it to his lips, seeming to savor the taste. He wouldn’t know, there is now way he could know what he had just drank. His lips moved over the brim of the cup, he drank, adams apple bobbing.

It seemed like time slowed down at that moment. He could reach forward, slap it away, it would be easy, a gesture that would take a little effort. He could shout, give warning. He could stop all of it…but he wasn’t. Nothing motivated him to warn the Emperor of the danger he was facing, of the death that awaited him. There was a raw surge of emotion in him that he did not know he possessed even after a lifetime of hardships. A ruthlessness that sprang forth, that let him sit back and watch Yifan drink the poisoned tea.

Lu Han. He was doing it to return to him, to his happiness, to love. To the life that he wanted, the life that was threatening to be taken away.

Flashes of memory. Of earth before the wars, of death and destruction. Of explosions, hunger. Of getting out, of being lost, of not knowing if there was a future. Time in the dingy resettlement camp. The first time he entered Lu Han’s home, the first time he ever spoke to him. A hundred different emotions that spanned ten years flickered before Minseok’s eyes and still, he did nothing.

_Lu Han is Yifan’s heir. If Yifan dies, Lu Han will be free._

He watched as Yifan drank the poison, as he set the cup back on the tray. “I will take good care of you,” Yifan smiled.

“Do you love your brothers?” Minseok asked, eyes trained on Yifan’s face, waiting to see if the tea was truly poisoned as the Empress claimed. A part of him hoped it wasn’t, that he wasn’t a monster that would let a man die in front of him for his own selfish reasons.

Yifan offered a crooked smile. “Do you think an Emperor can truly love anyone?”

“Your mother hates them.” He watched as Yifan shrugged, sat back.

“My mother knows what is best for me.” Yifan was looking at him. Minseok could see his eyes begin to lose focus. “I probably should have let her talk me into killing them, but then I wouldn’t have you.”

Minseok watched as Yifan collapsed, his body falling to the floor, arms going stiff as he hit. His face contorted, an awful expression of pain, body tensing, robes rubbing against the carpeting. Minseok watched as the blood began to pour from his mouth as he convulsed then went still. He watched, numb at his own inactions. It was over in seconds, Yifan went still, the blood trickling from his mouth as he ceased to move.

He was dying, his eyes losing their life, his skin losing its color. Minseok was watching a man die, had sat back and done nothing to stop it.

Guilt. He had killed a man, inadvertently but yet…he hadn’t stopped him. He had let Yifan drink poison and for what? For love? For loyalty? For his own survival?! The price of a life was cheap back on earth and Minseok hated that, but he had just let a man die without uttering a word. He was horrified at his own actions. At his complacency. The blood that dripped from the corner of Yifan’s mouth disgusted him, made him recoil at his way of thinking. 

He needed to get out, get away. It was his survival that dominated him now, his need to get out, to be free.  _Find Lu Han._

The door, was it locked? He ran for it, the handle lose, the door flying open without resistance. He ran forward, towards the grand staircase. There would be eunuchs, concubines, the Empress...they all lived here. How he would get out, where he would go, he didn’t know. He couldn’t know.

He managed to run through the front doors, past the eunuch guards, into the courtyard, dust kicking up around him as he slid to a stop. He glanced around, adrenaline coursing through him. He didn’t know where to turn or where to run. To his left was the gate, the only way out. What else was there?

Suddenly there was shouting from within the palace, his in-ear buzzing at the noise.

He ignored it, trained his sights on the gate that would lead to the rest of the harem. _To Lu Han._

He dashed for it, screams behind him, a woman wailing. Eunuchs hurrying past him, not paying him any attention.

Minseok reached the gate and threw it open, running through the hazy night towards the only home he had in this world or any other.

The harem descended into chaos, Minseok could hear the tolling of bells. Eunuchs scurried towards the inner sanctum of the Emperor, servants stumbled down the passageways, and some looking like they had just woken up. A few concubines darted out from their husbands’ courtyards, eyes filled with worry.

Minseok ran past all of them, weaving around the groups of guards, ignoring the concubines that called his name. He ran as fast as he could, feet pounding on the paving stones, down the familiar path he went.

When he reached Lu Han’s home the usual guards were missing, the doors completely unguarded. He used his last bit of energy to run to them, to fiddle with the lock until it slipped from the door handles, falling into the sand.

He threw the doors open, rushed inside with Lu Han’s name on his lips. It was dark, only a few of the oil lamps were lit. He rushed up to the second floor, taking the steps two at a time.

When he arrived at the top of the steps he stopped, eyes darting around the room, looking for the prince.

But it was empty. There was no one in the room, the familiar figure wasn’t lying on the floor sleeping or standing by the latticed windows. He called for Lu Han desperately, shouting his name in a panic. He rushed back down the stairs, his foot slipping out from under him at one point, his thighs and legs skidding along the last few stairs as he fell.

A sharp pain registered in his legs, but he didn’t care. He ran into the small bedroom next, hoping he would find Lu Han waiting for him, sleeping peacefully on the small bed that he had once called his own.

But he wasn’t.

The room was empty, just like all the rest. How could Lu Han be gone? How could he have left his prison, left this place that had kept him in for years uncounted?!

“Minseok.”

Minseok spun around. Sehun was standing in the doorway, panting heavily like he had run all the way there. He sucked in a breath before continuing. “We have to go, come on.” He gestured for Minseok to follow him.

“Where is he?” Minseok begged, needing to know before he took another step.

“Safe. We need to go.” Sehun gestured more forcefully.

Minseok hesitated for a moment before following him, jogging into the next room, to the far wall where Sehun began fidgeting with the tiles. He watched as the servant pressed in one of the tiles with his palm. A grating noise sounded, Minseok looking around for the source.

A section of the wall slid back, revealing a hidden passageway. It was dark, and Minseok couldn’t see where it led.

“There is little time, come on,” Sehun urged.

Minseok sucked in a breath and followed him, praying that at the end of his journey he would find Lu Han.

He grabbed onto Sehun’s robes in the darkness, one hand fisting the fabric, letting Sehun lead him through the darkness. It seemed like many minutes passed as they walked through the pitch-black tunnel, but Minseok realized it was probably less than a minute before they emerged into a narrow passageway near the entrance of the harem complex.

Flickering oil lanterns lit the stone path, in the distance Minseok could hear the tolling of bells, raised voices. The chaos.

A movement to his left got Minseok’s attention. He turned, peering into the low lighting.

“Gözde…”

_Lu Han._

Minseok ran to him, threw himself into the prince’s arms, hugging him for dear life. He buried his head in his shoulder, never so happy to see someone in all his life.

Lu Han held him tightly, hands rubbing soothingly over Minseok’s back.

“He’s dead,” Minseok admitted it in a whisper, words muffled.

“I know, I know,” Lu Han said cryptically. “I knew it would end this way. “

Minseok sucked in his bottom lip, didn’t know how to say it, how to admit it.

“He drank poison, it was meant for me…I didn’t stop him.” There should be no secrets now. There couldn’t be. Their futures were intertwined, they couldn’t be separated. He had willingly watched Yifan die, known what he was doing…hadn’t stopped him.

“It’s okay,” Lu Han soothed him.

Minseok broke the hug, angled away, stepping back. He needed to know, in the flickering light of the bronze oil lanterns, the soundtrack of chaos in the distance.

Lu Han brought his hands to Minseok’s face, cupping his cheeks.

Minseok considered the prince, at the reflection of the lanterns playing against his deep brown eyes. A sheen of sweat on Lu Han’s brow, on his cheeks. The serious expression, the way he looked at Minseok like he was afraid he would disappear.

“Did you want me to go…?” Minseok said the words that hurt, the ones that made his chest tighten, the question he didn’t want to be answered.

“Gözde, I never want you to go.” Lu Han’s eyes glistened with sincerity.

Sehun was saying something, urging them to go, but Minseok couldn’t pay attention to him. Not now. “You knew he would die…”

“No,” Lu Han answered firmly. “But I knew you would come back to me.”

Lu Han’s words didn’t make sense to Minseok, but he didn’t want to dwell on it. All that he was sure of was that Lu Han was with him, that he was safe, and was holding him gently, looking at him like he was his entire world.

“We need to go,” Lu Han finally said, giving into Sehun’s ramblings.

Minseok gripped Lu Han’s hand without a second thought. He would go anywhere with him, follow him to any place, any planet, anytime.

He wouldn’t look back.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok had lived through chaos, through bombings, through death. He had wandered through the burnt out shells of buildings, afraid every step would end in his demise. He had done many things in his short life but somehow, somehow this was the most daunting. Hand in hand, following Lu Han through the harem, the shouts, the screams, and the chaos. Trusting the prince to lead him to life, to a future, while everything around them fell apart.

 

He did not recognize the pathways they traversed or the gates that Lu Han and Sehun pushed open, the wooden doors creaking at the hinges. He didn’t understand what route they had in mind or where it could possibly end. He blindly followed, trusting Lu Han.

 

And when they stumbled into the courtyard in front of the Chief Eunuch’s dwelling, a place Minseok recognized from his first tour of the harem with Kyungsoo, he gripped Lu Han’s hand tightly, afraid.

 

“Emperor Yifan is no longer. All hail Emperor Lu Han!” Sehun shouted at the top of his lungs.

An older man emerged from the gilded palace that surrounded the courtyard, dressed in finery that took Minseok’s breath away. He walked proudly towards Lu Han, stopping a few feet in front of him. The chief eunuch, Minseok realized.

“Is it true?” the man asked, his voice deep and gravelly.

Lu Han nodded, not looking away, staring the man down.

The man let out a sigh.

A few seconds later a group of eunuchs stumbled into the courtyard, their voices raised, reporting the death of the Emperor. They stopped speaking when they noticed Lu Han, Minseok, and Sehun, their eyes darting between the men.

“All hail his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Lu Han,” the older man shouted.

It was disorienting to see the Eunuchs begin to bow. Those who filtered into the courtyard follow suit. The older man, kneeling in front of Lu Han. Minseok glanced at Sehun, the servant was on his knees, bowing. Minseok panicked, made a move to do the same. It was Lu Han’s firm grip on his hand that kept him standing.

“Not you,” Lu Han whispered. “Never you.”

Minseok stood by his side, not falling to his knees, rejecting the actions of everyone else. He felt drunk, or like he was in a dream. Everything was wrong but somehow it was right. He was with Lu Han, he was alive….but was that the only thing that mattered?

The hard pressure from Lu Han squeezing his hand, reassurance. The flickering oil lanterns, the night sky. The dust that was kicked up by the swarm of people. The wails that he heard beyond the courtyard. The memory of blood running from Yifan’s mouth. Lu Han’s cryptic words. A glance up at the sky, at the stars that shone brightly, worlds that Minseok would never know.

“All hail his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Lu Han!”

☀ ☀

 

He walked in a daze, Lu Han never letting go of his hand. The suns began to rise, light breaking over the palace. The wailing died down, leaving an eerie silence in its place. A humidity hung in the air, a fog that Minseok had never witnessed in the time he had been on the planet. The dust seemed to settle. Lu Han’s strong grip on his hand, the sweat that trickled between their palms, his sandals sliding on the paving stones. A strange atmosphere accompanied their journey.

“Where are we going?” Minseok asked, his voice hoarse, cracking.

Sehun followed them, a few feet behind. The eunuchs that had sworn fealty to Lu Han trailed after him, an imposing rank and file, blasters at their sides.

Minseok felt like his heart would thunder out of his chest, that the short breaths he took would end in hyperventilation.

Lu Han didn’t answer, he just led. To the first door, painted a deep red. Pushed open, revealing a courtyard that was startlingly similar to the one outside of Lu Han’s residence. They stepped inside, towards the imposing white palace.

It was the first time Lu Han let his hand go. Minseok’s arm went slack at his side, he stopped, and watched as Lu Han approached the doors. He fiddled with the large lock, throwing it into the sand violently once he had wrenched it free. The lock skittered, dust kicking up.

The doors were opened and in a blur there was movement. Minseok watched, eyes watering as Kyungsoo and Baekhyun stepped outside, accompanied by a taller man.

The stranger approached Lu Han, arms wide, grabbing him. It was a tight hug, the stranger whirling Lu Han around, both men smiling.

“Prince Chanyeol,” Sehun said quietly from Minseok’s side.

Minseok looked at the servant, noted the dark circles under his eyes, the weary way he watched the brothers reunite, the small smile on his face.

“He is freeing them,” Minseok said, knowing it was the case.

Sehun looked at Minseok and nodded. “Yes. And it is about time.”

When Kyungsoo and Baekhyun wandered towards him, Minseok felt his bottom lip start to tremble. Friendly faces, waves of emotion. Kyungsoo held his arms out and Minseok crumpled into them, holding his friend.

He didn’t notice until he broke away from the hug that Sehun was holding Baekhyun, that the concubine was planting chaste kisses on Sehun’s cheeks, on his lips, holding onto him tightly.

“Thank you, Minseok, for saving us,” Kyungsoo whispered, his hand smoothing over the back of Minseok’s neck in a fond gesture. He pulled him back into a tight hug.

How did Kyungsoo know…how did any of them know? Lu Han’s cryptic words… it made him uneasy. Minseok pulled back from Kyungsoo, meeting his eyes he asked, “How did you know?”

“He’ll tell you.” Kyungsoo nodded towards Lu Han. “It is his place.”

Minseok wanted to demand an answer. He didn’t, not when he spotted Lu Han, his arms around his younger brother, both smiling at each other.

He didn’t protest when Lu Han led him to two more courtyards, to his first glimpses of Junmyeon and Jongin. When he gazed upon the lost looks the other concubines shared, the worried gazes they sent his way, his guilt seemed to grow.

And then finally the brothers carved a path towards the place where Minseok had fled from, the place where Yifan had fallen still.

Lu Han had made sure to pull Minseok back to his side after every jailbreak, after every greeting he shared with his brothers. He made sure to intertwine their hands once again, to hold Minseok tightly as they traveled to the next destination.  It was probably wishful thinking to imagine he did so because he needed the support as much as Minseok needed it.

The Emperor’s quarters, the largest palace in the harem complex. The home of his concubines, the home of his mother, the feared Valide Empress. The sound of sobbing grew louder the closer they got to the palace, wailing that sent a shiver down Minseok’s spine.

Lu Han didn’t stop in the courtyard. He stalked into the palace, dropping Minseok’s hand near the entrance. Minseok debated if he should enter, what Lu Han would want him to do. In the end, he decided to stay far away from the scene of his crime. He retreated to the courtyard, not daring to look at the other princes or their concubines. He put as much space as he could between himself and the sound of a mother wailing over her child.

It seemed like a lifetime before anyone left the palace. Finally, a figure appeared in the doorway, the sight making Minseok turn his head.

The Valide Empress, her eyes red, her cheeks tearstained. She held her head high but her grandeur had disappeared overnight. Her eyes no longer flashed with power, the only emotion that clung to her now was pain.

She stumbled out of the palace, defiantly staring down the princes. Lu Han walked behind her, his face expressionless.

Minseok made the mistake of looking back at her, at the same moment she spotted him in the crowd. Their eyes met, a thousand things said between them in that one look. Hatred, anger, regret, sadness. Pain. Feelings they might have shared in another lifetime, on another planet.

The Empress looked away.

“Long live his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Lu Han,” she announced to those gathered. Her voice was soulless. She staggered down the remaining steps, the crowd parting for her.

A group of eunuchs stepped forward. Minseok was shocked to see them grab her arms, much like they had done to him months ago. She tried to shrug them off but they held tight.

“You shall retire to the old palace as every Valide Empress before you,” Lu Han announced. “As will the entirety of my late brother’s harem. The new Valide shall be Minseok.”

Minseok took a step back, terrified when everyone turned to look at him. He hadn’t expected the announcement, but then again he hadn’t expected any of it.

“Eunuchs, please escort those who are to be sent to the old palace.” Lu Han skipped down the steps. He walked past his brothers and their concubines, not stopping until he was in front of Minseok.

“We are home, Gözde,” Lu Han said softly. 

Minseok stared past him, looking at the imposing palace. Inside Yifan lay dead because of his inactions. Outside Lu Han was giving him titles and power while sending away the woman Minseok feared most. Minseok was afraid, racked with guilt. A part of him wanted to run away from it all but another part of him wanted to stay.

And he knew he would stay. He had to.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok hadn’t felt so alone since he entered the palace months before. The morning dawned over Evren, the planet awakening to a new Emperor and a change of guard. The princes were free, things were changing.

Minseok was alone in a small room in the Emperor’s palace, a place on the first floor that was about as far away from the room where Yifan died as he could find. Lu Han had long since left him, needing to secure his reign outside of the harem. The princes were gone too, trailing after the Emperor. Most of the concubines returned to their homes.

Alone. He sat with his back to a tiled wall, hugging his knees, thinking. About what could've been, about the morality of his choices. About the things that Lu Han hinted about. About a love born of isolation and imprisonment, of circumstance.

“Well, you haven't burned the place down so it looks like you are doing well.” Sehun stood in the doorway, his tall form leaning against the frame. Dark circles colored his cheeks, indicating his level of fatigue.

Minseok grunted a response, went back to staring at the floor.

Sehun ambled up to him, taking a seat on the floor. “Lu Han is meeting with the court ministers right now. Needless to say, there aren’t many who are upset about the recent turn of events.”

“How did he know this would happen?” Minseok looked up, blinking at Sehun. “Lu Han made it sound like he knew….how did you know to lead Lu Han through the passageway? What has been going on?”

Sehun exhaled sharply. “I probably should let Lu Han tell you.”

“No. Tell me now. I have a right to know,” Minseok demanded.

“Fine. Fine. But you can’t freak out, promise?”

Minseok nodded.

“We have been trying to overthrow the Valide Empress for years. She isn’t someone we could target if she fell Yifan would no doubt kill his brothers out of fear. Her power is only present while her son is Emperor...and she made damn sure that Yifan was nearly untouchable because of it. The only people that could get close to him were the concubines in his harem and a few personal servants that would never betray him. We never had a way to end his reign until you arrived.”

“Me?” Minseok furrowed his brow.

“It was easy to see you are Yifan’s type. With a few carefully planned events we hoped to get you noticed, to have you sent into his harem. It was Lu Han who figured you out, who suggested the poisoned ring. He said that you would never kill someone, but you would definitely knock them out if they threatened you. Knowing Yifan he wouldn't take no for an answer once you were his, giving you a reason to sedate him. The ring carries poison, which would kill him within minutes.”

Minseok looked down at the ring on his finger. “It was all lies...” he tried to wrap his head around what he was being told.

“Not all of it. Some of it, yes. Yifan first noticed you during your punishment, he asks to be notified of these things. That was...” Sehun looked away.

“You planned for that to happen.” Minseok couldn’t believe it. His legs still stung from where the Empress had beaten him, ripped away his flesh. And Lu Han had wanted it to happen? “You knew my ruse to sneak you in would be reported to the head eunuch and make it back to the Empress.”

“It was necessary.” Sehun sighed. “I am sorry Minseok, but it had to happen for Lu Han to go free.”

“What else? Do I even want to know?” Minseok felt sick. He wanted to throw up.

“We knew Yifan would see you at the feast for the foreign dignitary. Once he saw you he would want because you belonged to Lu Han. It is the way he has always been since they were children.”

“Which is why Kyungsoo gave me the ring right before…”

“But you never used the ring, did you?” Sehun looked at Minseok’s hand.” The stone has not been moved. So then, do tell, how did Yifan die?”

Minseok paled. He had been sent to kill Yifan, his actions directed like a puppet on a string. He was supposed to do it accidentally, to try to drug the Emperor while really poisoning him.

But he had done it on purpose. He had intentionally watched Yifan drink poison and remained silent. Lu Han claimed he would never kill anyone, but he was wrong. Minseok hadn’t poured the poison down Yifan’s throat but he might as well have. He was the reason the Emperor was dead.

Lu Han had plotted, had used him to this end. And what had he done –– blindly followed without question, his actions motivated by a false sense of happiness and the dream of love. He had wanted Yifan to die so he could go back to Lu Han. He had clung so desperately to the idea of a home, of a place where he was safe and secure, that he would do anything to maintain it. After losing his home, his planet, he would do anything in his power to never repeat that pain. Even kill.

They were both horrible people in their own way. Selfish. Inconsiderate. Blinded by their own goals.

Was there anything between them that was real? Were the words they spoke to each other, the kisses they shared...was there any honesty to be found? Or had Minseok imposed what he wanted on a lonely prince who had seen him as a means to an end?

Minseok stood. “If he asks for me, tell him I went back. Tell him…” He looked down at Sehun. “Tell him I need to be alone.”

“You said you weren’t going to freak out!” Sehun called after him.

Minseok kept walking, refusing to turn around.

☀ ☀

 

Minseok went to the domed room that he had spent so much time in. The place where he had poured out his life stories, the place where he had felt terror, where he had felt immense joy. He sat at the low table, stared off towards nothing.

He eventually fell asleep on the floor, waking up to the familiar scent of Lu Han imprinted on the cushions.

He hid himself away, feeling like his entire being had been carved in two. A sword had sliced through him, his emotions torn to shreds. His world crumbling.

He sat in the room for a day, then another, and still, Lu Han did not come. Minseok was thankful he stayed away but somehow it hurt. It felt like confirmation that there had never been anything between them, to begin with. They had used each other for their own goals, the futures they both wanted. Except now Lu Han was living his while Minseok had pushed him away.

Kyungsoo showed up on the second day, bringing a tray of food. He tried to soothe Minseok's worries but he inadvertently made them worse.

“It is thanks to you we can finally be happy,” he said. “Baekhyun and Sehun can be together now, and Chanyeol is thrilled to be free. The other princes as well.”

 _Baekhyun and Sehun._ Hadn’t Kyungsoo told him there was nothing between them? But of course, he was their weapon, they didn’t actually tell him the truth. He never had friends there, only illusions of friends.

“You are our savior, Minseok. Please don’t be too hard on yourself or Lu Han,” Kyungsoo plead.

Minseok remained silent. Finally, Kyungsoo gave up and retreated, leaving Minseok to his solitude.

☀ ☀

 

The creak of the steps. The familiar footsteps. Minseok had his back turned towards the staircase, he didn’t bother to turn to see who it was. He knew.

Five days had passed since they had seen each other.

Lu Han rounded the table, sat in his usual spot. If Minseok wanted to feed his delusions he could pretend it was a week ago, that they were happy. Lu Han would beg him to tell a story, Minseok would smile and agree.

But he couldn’t do that anymore, not when he knew the truth.

Minseok had once thought Lu Han’s eyes had a haunting quality, a darkness that was sadder than anything. Now he saw a coldness in his eyes. A strong will that he had pretended was something else.

Lu Han cleared his throat. “When I was seven years old I was obsessed with learning to ride a horse. My mother hated it.” Lu Han smiled. “But my father let me. He gave me an old mare from the stables, a gentle creature. I would take her out when I could….”

Minseok zoned out, he leaned back. He let Lu Han tell his story and another. Mundane memories flowing from the newly crowned Emperor’s lips until an hour had passed.

“I will be back tomorrow, Gözde,” he said softly before he left. “I will keep coming until you return to me.”

☀ ☀

 

Lu Han was true to his word, returning the next day and the day after. Minseok listened to his stories but didn’t speak, didn’t want to admit out loud the things that had kept him up at night. He learned of Lu Han’s favorite games when he was a child, of the time he snuck out of the palace with Yifan, wreaking havoc in the town’s market. Lu Han told him about arguing with his tutors about the lack of technology on-planet, and that eventually, he agreed with the method.

And each time Lu Han promised to return again until Minseok would speak to him.

And each time Minseok refused to speak, refused to acknowledge the man who had used him so terribly, whom he had used. It was easier that way.

☀ ☀

 

 “Come with me,” Sehun ordered, barging into the domed room.

Minseok glared at the servant.

“If you don't I will carry you. I’m serious.” Sehun stood with his hands on his hips.

Minseok sighed. He obeyed, not wanting to get into a violent altercation with Lu Han’s best friend. Sehun led him down the stairs and out of the house, calling over his shoulder, “We aren’t going to see Lu Han so you can stop worrying.”

Minseok wanted to answer that if they were he would simply turn and leave but he remained quiet. He followed Sehun to one of the white structures that edged the courtyard.

Sehun pulled open the creaking door, dust flying up as he forced it back. He gestured for Minseok to enter.

Minseok stepped over the wooden threshold, feet hitting the dirt floor. He squinted, eyes adjusting to the dim sunlight that filtered in through one of the open windows.

Paintings were leaning against every wall, were hung on every space, covering the room. Minseok stared at them in awe, realizing what he was looking at.

_Lu Han’s paintings._

He cautiously approached the ones closest to him, eyes jumping from one to another. Each painting depicted a part of the palace, some that Minseok recognized and others that he did not. There was a theme that carried over in each painting, a theme that made Minseok’s heart hurt. They were painted with a lattice work covering each scene, the view from a window. A prison depicted delicately over the places the painter would potentially never see again.

“He didn’t start painting until he was put in seclusion,” Sehun said quietly. “And he painted everything the same way, like a view from his window. It was the way he coped, he told me. The way he reminded himself what was out there but what he couldn’t have unless he worked hard enough to get it.”

Minseok walked to the next wall, sadness washing over him.

“There are only three paintings he ever finished that didn’t reference his prison.” Sehun put his hand on Minseok’s shoulder and turned him towards the far wall.

Minseok narrowed his eyes, his heart thundering in his chest when he realized what he was looking at.

There were three paintings of him. One of him in the same robes he wore to the celebration for the foreign Empress. Another of him sitting and smiling at the table. The last painting was the one that he remembered Lu Han sketching long ago, the one that Lu Han wouldn't show him. The low lighting of the oil lanterns, the silk pillows, his hands clasped in his lap. While sadness lingered on the other paintings in the room, the three of Minseok were different.

“We all made mistakes, Minseok,” Sehun said. He moved to stand next to him. “Lu Han lied, but that doesn’t mean he doesn't love you. I have known him practically his entire life and you are the first person he has ever cared for beside his family. He loves you and I think you love him.”

Minseok swallowed, tongue feeling thick in his mouth. _Love._

He did love him, which is why the truth had hurt so badly.

“So please come back to him. I am growing tired of hearing him whine about missing you, it is giving me a headache. Incessant, day in and day out. You would think an Emperor would have more pressing matters than complaining to a servant but nope, he never stops, the lovesick fool.”

Minseok hadn’t realized he was crying until he tasted salt, his tears sliding down his cheeks.

When Minseok didn't speak, just stood and stared at the paintings for a few passing minutes, Sehun retreated with one last plea for him to return.

Eventually he tore his eyes away from the paintings and trudged back to the domed room, to silence. He had a decision to make.

☀ ☀

 

Lu Han arrived after the twin suns had set. He carried a tray of food in his hands, rambling on about the dinner he had the cooks make.

When he sat down at the table he flashed Minseok a smile, which quickly faltered when he saw that Minseok’s eyes were red rimmed from crying.

“Don’t speak.” Minseok held his palm out to stop Lu Han from saying anything. He sucked in a deep breath. “I let your brother die because I am selfish, because I wanted you, _to be with you_. To feel like I had a home, to feel safe. I was wrong, and so were you. You used me, Lu Han, you used me to get what you wanted. How two people can build love on lies, I keep asking myself. How can two people so selfish they would kill another person have a happy ending? And then I remember all the people on earth who were good, who weren’t selfish, who died anyway. Somewhere in the galaxy I am sure there are war criminals who escaped earth, who are living a fat and happy life regardless of their actions. And what does that make us? Why should I moralize something like this, I am tired of struggling, I am tired of trying to make sense of it. Yifan was wrong, his mother was wrong. We were wrong. Or maybe we were all right in our own way. Fuck it. I am done thinking about it.”

Minseok sucked in a breath. “I want to spend my life with you, I really do, but if you lie to me again, if you use me I will not hesitate to contact the resettlement agency and leave.”

_Silence._

“I am sorry, Gözde.” Lu Han said quietly. “I am sorry for how I treated you. I love you, more than I think you understand. I don’t deserve you.” He raked his fingers through his hair, hanging his head down.

Minseok took the initiative, tired of the depressing atmosphere. He crawled around the table, Lu Han gawking at him in surprise.

“I never thought I would say we are talking too much, but we are,” he murmured before moving to press his lips against Lu Han’s.

The Emperor apparently agreed, hand cupping Minseok’s cheeks, kissing him languidly. It was slow, torturous even if Minseok considered the effect it had on him, but it was what he needed. A slow, loving gesture after a long and painful separation.

A physical reassurance that they would be okay.

“I love you,” Lu Han whispered against Minseok’s mouth when they moved away. “And I always will.”

 

 

☀ ☀

 

 

_ Three months later _

 

Minseok blinked wearily, rubbing at his eyes. It was too early to be awake, the suns weren’t even out. He sighed and rolled over, coming face to face with Lu Han.

The Emperor was awake, a soft smile playing on his lips. His hair was mussed from sleep, his cheeks swollen. A glance at his bare neck and upper arms and Minseok could see the red and purple marks he had left, some fresh, others fading.

“Morning,” Lu Han murmured, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Minseok’s forehead.

“Can’t we stay in bed?” Minseok groaned, scooting closer to Lu Han, moving his hips suggestively.

“You’re trying to trick me into letting you sleep, Gözde.” Lu Han sighed, not looking the least bit annoyed.

Minseok smirked, wiggling his hips again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lu Han groaned and rolled away. “It isn’t going to work this time. We need to get ready.”

Minseok sported a momentary pout before he gave in, sitting up and dragging his hand through his hair. “Why do these ceremonies have to be so early?”

Lu Han got out of bed and grabbed for his robe. “Tradition.”

“Right.” Minseok sighed. “ _Tradition._ ”

 

 

The concubines paraded into the clearing, moving by order of precedence. Minseok was no longer last in line, now he was first, leading the group to stand in front of a stone platform. There was one less concubine in their ranks, Baekhyun had been given up by Chanyeol and allowed (by the grace of the Emperor), to accept a position in the tailors quarters of the harem. Sometimes Minseok would catch a glimpse of Baekhyun when he was out walking, strolling hand in hand with Sehun.

The Princes filed in next, their pale complexions having significantly darkened since they gained their freedom. Minseok had to admit he had grown fond of all of them in one way or another. Chanyeol was just as Kyungsoo had always described him, full of energy and vigor, quick to laugh and always ready to chat. Junmyeon was quieter, more serious, but determined. He liked to talk Minseok’s ear off about policy when the concubine would listen, pointing out the flaws in each possible decision. Jongin was always laughing, the only time Minseok had witnessed him being upset is when one of the small pets Yoona had passed away from old age.

Since returning to Lu Han, Minseok had found a place to call home with people he enjoyed talking to and a man he loved. A man who walked onto the stone platform with his head held high, his shoulders squared, possessing a confidence Minseok would have never guessed months ago.

Everyone knelt in fealty, including Minseok who had long since argued with Lu Han about his need to do so. After they rose Lu Han began to speak, announcing the decree that all new Emperor’s made after they took the throne.

In a clear, strong voice he named Junmyeon his heir and Minseok his consort as well as the leader of the harem. Minseok was Valide now, a title that still struck fear in his heart, but one that he was resolved to hold with compassion and caring. Lu Han made it known in no uncertain terms that the princes would not be locked up nor would they be killed out of a fear they would usurp the throne. And at the end he made a declaration that Minseok had not been expecting even if it had been on his mind.

“I will take no other consorts for the duration of my reign,” he announced, eyes trained on where Minseok stood.

Minseok felt his face grow warm. Even if they were together now Lu Han still had that power over him, much to his occasional annoyance.

But he wasn’t annoyed now. He was happy, relieved. He had found home on a faraway planet, a place that was alien to him, full of confusing customs and curious deeds. Lies, sins of omission. The blazing hot twin suns and prisons made of gold. Nothing made sense at first and maybe it still didn’t, not entirely. But what made sense was being here with Lu Han, with the man he loved, a man who was worlds away from him for most of his life.

A person he would never leave again.

_His home._


End file.
